Go Fest 2021 Epilogue: Nighttime Music, Vocal Version

We can share the beauty of the world tonight

Stars up in the sky will light the way

Every place we wander, wonders will amaze us

See the mountains shimmer in the moonlit sky

Maybe they will show us where to go

Rhythms of the ocean waves tell me my dream is real

You and I tonight will see our worlds align, the stars alight

And with their light to guide me I know I will find you

So we can go and make a brighter world

We can go and make a brighter world

By now, Pokémon Go Fest 2021 has fully concluded and not many traces of it linger, though many Trainers with their storage full of Pokémon that are Shiny, remarkable, or both may have something to say about that. Regardless, the traces that linger even until now may have a significant story, and that would be very true for the one I'm about to discuss, and that would be the nighttime music that became its epilogue, which is the same normal nighttime music but with lyrics and vocals, hence a "vocal version".

This unique alternate version of the normal nighttime music first appeared after Day 2 of the event, as hinted by an announcement on social media. It was likely intended as a one-off one-night thing for the event's conclusion, with the normal nighttime music returning afterwards. It seems, though, that minds were changed along the way (perhaps due to popular demand) enough that the music still persists today whenever the local time is still nighttime, allowing a chance for others who didn't hear it then to hear it now.

Also remarkable are the characteristics of this special piece. The piece is sung by a male and female singer as a duet, and the lyrics closely follow the prominent melody of the original instrumental piece. True to the original piece, the lyrics (which are quoted in full above due to the length of the song) illustrate a nighttime situation with hints of adventure and even a little bit of romance. An important concept in the lyrics is "light", as something to seek in the path of life and to make the world better.

Fans also reacted mostly favorably to this arrangement of the previously instrumental piece. Many felt that it was a fitting song to wind to after two intense days of catching and raiding, and some even fantasized a credits sequence or a "thank you for playing" message to come as the song played. A few others considered that the song is a reflection of how far Pokémon and Pokémon Go in particular has come, and what may lie beyond the horizon as both of these continue to progress.

It is thus not a stretch to consider this song, as the vocal version of an existing instrumental BGM, to be the perfect epilogue to the festivities of this year's Pokémon Go Fest, even if in some areas it couldn't be as festive - or more so - than expected. With the decision for the song to linger longer in place of the instrumental version, there is a certain desire for the memories of Go Fest to linger longer as well, as well as when the nighttime music returns to instrumental, to linger as long as it can.

One year ago: Getting Crafty for Go Fest

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/21/2019

Three years ago: Pokémon Style Figure Sun & Moon 2 - Mimikyu

Four years ago: Cosplay in a Bag