This previous Wednesday, January 30th, I was able to see the fantastic Pentatonix live in concert at the House Of Blues in Downtown Disney. The show was sold out, and packed with ecstatic fans, whose energy was tangible in the room. I was weary and tired in line, but couldn't help being excited because of the enthusiasm for Pentatonix. The opening band started soon after 8 o'clock, and was surprisingly good. Their name was "Speak", and they were a alternative band out of Austin, Texas. They played about 8 songs, which consisted of originals except for one cover of The Beegees' "Stayin' Alive". They had great energy and stage presence; their lead singer was very comfortable talking to everyone and led his fellow band to pump up the crowd for Pentatonix. It seems like they had an 80's influence, with guitars and synths reminiscent of big-hair bands from that era. Their back up vocals were spectacular, with no tone issues and contributing to the big sound of the group. A unique aspect of the band was that the bassist and the singer exchanged instruments a few times. The bassist played guitar on one song and the singer played his bass, and there was another song where the bassist just did back up vocals and the singer played the synth. Overall, I was very impressed by the band and their enthusiasm to perform.
However, the best was saved for last. The crowd went ballistic as the lights turned off and the curtain lifted. Pentatonix was standing in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to begin. Their beatboxer, Kevin, and their bassist, Avi, began and epic intro of resounding beats and dubstep-wobbles, filling the room with sound. The group then went right into their cover/mashup of "Save The World/Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia. The crowd was bouncing to the beat as Pentatonix proved why they had won The Sing Off and risen to the level of fame they were at. For the next hour and a half, they proceeded to amaze the crowd with 20 spectacular songs. They performed songs from their time on The Sing Off, covers they had uploaded to YouTube, and songs from the first CD release. Some of the highlights include Thrift Shop, Love Lockdown, As Long As You Love Me/Wide Awake, and Aha!. There were some moments during the show that were truly incredible. For example, Kevin originally started by posting videos of himself playing the cello while beat-boxing on YouTube, and so showed the skill he had. He did a solo performance, and then was rejoined by the group to do an awesome rendition of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Another moment worth mentioning was when Avi and Kevin divided the crowd into sections and taught them various vocal lines to sing. The result was insane, for after the crowd got going, Avi and Kevin created a sick bass-line and beat over the melodies. It was the highlight of the show for me. Beyond their skill, however, Pentatonix also had great chemistry with the crowd, and many laughs and cheers resulted when they talked. While they performed, they intertwined choreography with the songs to emphasize lines and words, creating a spectacular show. It was definitely one of the best live shows I've ever seen, and I would recommend seeing them if the chance arises.
This is the setlist and order of the songs they performed:
Save The World/Don't You Worry Child (Swedish House Mafia Cover)
Thrift Shop (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Cover)*
Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles Cover)
OMG (Usher Cover)
Love Lockdown (Kanye West Cover)*
As Long As You Love Me/Wide Awake (Justin Bieber/Katy Perry Mashup Cover)
NSYNC Medley
Telephone (Lady Gaga Cover)
Kevin Olusola Cello Beatboxing*
Radioactive featuring Kevin on cello (Imagine Dragons Cover)*
Aha! (Imogen Heap Cover)*
The Baddest Girl (Original)*
Sweet Nothing (Calvin Harris Cover)
You Da One (Rihanna Cover)
Let's Get It On (Marvin Gaye)*
The Peaceful War (New Original)*
Starships (Nicki Minaj Cover)
Dog Days Are Over (Florence + The Machine Cover)
We Are Young (Fun. Cover)
Below are links to a few videos I took at the show that I've uploaded to YouTube. Just click on which ever you want to watch and it'll take you there. I have more videos as well, so if you want me to upload them then let me know!
Crowd Singalong
Intro
Thrift Shop
Love Lockdown
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