A mannequin stood over the turn tables, mixing tracks. Our undying love was requested and demanded. Kool-aid was passed around in plastic cups to test our love. No, I wasn’t at an immersive show, but I might as well have been. I was at the last concert for the Poppy.Computer tour.

I’ve been obsessed with the internet sensation Poppy for almost two years now. I can’t even remember how I stumbled across her YouTube channel, but once I did, I fell down the rabbit hole almost immediately. Her weird, quirky, and definitely off-kilter videos hooked me in, and it felt almost as if I was watching an ALONE show, but on my computer screen.

I can’t even begin to describe Poppy; you need to watch her videos for yourself. But you either love her or hate her, there is no in-between. But in addition to her short videos, she also has one hell of a voice, as her music videos that are sprinkled into her channel can attest. When we saw that she would be making her last stop on her tour in nearby Santa Ana, we made a last minute decision to go check it out.

And I am so glad I did.

I’m Poppy.

You are probably asking yourself why HorrorBuzz would even consider reviewing a concert, let alone one by Poppy. The answer is pretty simple actually; if you love immersive theater, chances are, you’d love her live show.

The evening began with a bit of psychological warfare. Toto’s “Africa” blasted over the loud speakers when we entered the venue, and of course, we grooved to the sweet, sweet sounds. But then it played again. And again. And again. An hour and 15 minutes later, we had learned all the lyrics and had a massive love/hate relationship with the song. Every time the opening moments came on again, the crowd would erupt into simultaneous cheering and jeering. Honestly, it was kind of brilliant.

Then, the lights dimmed, and Charlotte, a mannequin who is quite popular in the Poppy videos, stood before us. She “mixed” some music for us “live,” and the room almost turned into a rave. It was actually pretty entertaining, and the variety of songs played were pretty fun. Every so often, a little “Poppy” would be mixed in via sound bites, all while psychedelic videos played on the video screens.

After about 20 minutes of that, we were ready for the main event. Playing into the unspoken story that Poppy is a creation of the Internet, the video screens prepared us for her arrival by uploading programs and sequences into our collective consciousness. We had to stare at hypnosis wheels as subliminal messages played. We had to listen to music tracks. Only then were we ready for Poppy.

As soon as she burst onto the stage to sing “I’m Poppy,” I was convinced that this was no ordinary show. This was pure marketing brilliance. Her and her companions never once broke character, and I honestly think I joined another cult.

At one point, she did demand our love and devotion. She asked if we would sacrifice our lives for her. Of course, the audience didn’t hesitate to respond. To prove it, some of her loyal minions came to the stage and passed out plastic cups filled with some sort of liquid, and handed them out to people. They drank them greedily, people falling over each other to have a taste.

That, my friends, is one hell of a following.

Charlotte’s mind was blown. Literally.

Like I mentioned earlier, the music itself is also pretty great. Though it can be considered generic pop music, the lyrics and Poppy’s ability to say them with a straight face make them even better. They are all about her being a creation of the computer age, and that her following will do almost anything for her. Biting social commentary aside, it was still pretty great.

Her and her performers put on one hell of a show. Singing, dancing, vignettes, all were visually impressive and expertly choreographed. If I didn’t know for a fact that the ALONE team was currently over in Australia producing a show, I would have sworn this concert was put on by them.

All in all, it was one weird night. I wasn’t joking about immersive fans, though; they would surely get a kick out of this.

Though this show marked the end of their tour, I encourage you to check her out online, and catch her next time she is around. It would be well worth it.