Internationally renowned pop culture convention Dragon Con celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, drawing over 75,000 attendees and raising upwards of $320,000 for Hope Atlanta, a non-profit empowering unhoused people to build stable lives.
With events at five different host hotels running nearly all day, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Dragon Con covers many tracks including gaming, celebrity Q&A panels, fandom meetups, shopping, raves, and much more. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a fan of live music, and Dragon Con consistently has performances by some of my favorite artists.
Friday night’s cant-miss show was The Cybertronic Spree, a band made of literal Transformers. Yes, the robots from Cybertron. Since 2013, the group has been playing rock covers of songs from Transformers: The Movie, other films, anime, video games, as well as original songs. This year’s show carried a more poignant tone with tributes to Peter Cullen, the iconic voice of Optimus Prime; Cullen passed away in August, less than two weeks before the Spree’s performance at Dragon Con.
It’s hard to stay down while transforming robots are singing the likes of Immigrant Song and The Touch, so spirits stayed high late into the night. If you want to catch the Spree yourself, you can follow them here.
On Sunday night, dark wave and synthpop band The Crüxshadows returned to their role as a Dragon Con tradition to close out the last full day of the convention with a bang. With an opening performance by Last Grasp, the show carried a moody, timeless vibe that felt like a true escape from reality before everyone had to return to it the next day.
While not a music festival, Dragon Con offers a varied range of live music that you won’t find in any other space. Additionally, most concerts at Dragon Con are included with standard admission, making it an exceptional way to experience a spectrum of artists. If your interest has been piqued, you can get your 2027 membership here.