MANILA, Philippines – Pentatonix put on a fantastic Manila concert that showed off not only the members' individual talents, but their flawless teamwork as a whole. The Smart Araneta Coliseum was alive with electric energy from passionte fans Saturday night, September 24. PTX felt the love – and returned it in spades. (READ: Pentatonix in PH: On the balut experience, pitch perfect Pinoy fans, and more)
The 5-member a cappella group consists of Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Avi Kaplan, Kevin Olusola and Mitch Grassi. Their initial rise to fame began with a Sing-Off win plus many viral YouTube videos. But since then, they’ve earned numerous awards and accolades, recorded albums and EPs, and have sold millions in records.
A cappella groups have been around for a while, but this is far from an old school barber shop quartet sound. They put their own modern spin on the tunes, covering songs ranging in style from recent pop tracks to EDM and oddly enough, classical standards. And let's not forget their original songs – many of the fans at the concert knew every word. Pentatonix is one of those groups that could sing the phone book backwards and it would sound wonderful.
What impressed me here though, was not only the vocal prowess of each member individually but the combination of the 5 voices. It is really something to experience. Scott reminds me a bit of Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, not only in his appearance and a few mannerisms but also in his vocal quality.
Kirstie possesses an ethereal angelic quality to her voice, which she often expertly maneuvers to sound both fierce and delicate.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I need, I need you like water <a href="https://twitter.com/PTXofficial">@PTXofficial</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTXWorldTourMNL?src=hash">#PTXWorldTourMNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/IboSMPd3pZ">pic.twitter.com/IboSMPd3pZ</a></p>— Vernise L. Tantuco (@verntantuco) <a href="https://twitter.com/verntantuco/status/779690523577552897">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Avi is gifted with a shockingly and beautifully deep voice, reminding me of Jon “Bowzer” Bauman of the band Sha Na Na. He also occasionally sings lead and is a fan favorite; his concentration and control are really admirable.
And then there's Mitch, with his out-of-this world range – he hit some high notes throughout the evening that simply knocked the socks off the crowd.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Where Are Ü Now? <a href="https://twitter.com/PTXofficial">@PTXofficial</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTXWorldTourMNL?src=hash">#PTXWorldTourMNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/i4nYKDG0iw">pic.twitter.com/i4nYKDG0iw</a></p>— Vernise L. Tantuco (@verntantuco) <a href="https://twitter.com/verntantuco/status/779671831452069888">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Finally, with Avi, Kevin provided the backbone of the overall sound, beatboxing for much of the show (he also took the stage solo for a round on his cello). They not only harmonized well, but with their a cappella special effects skills, at times, you'd swear there was a band backing them up.
The 5 of them knew how to move on stage, no doubt honed by hours of practice and years performing together. Smoothly covering the stage area, they occasionally switched positions in line, negotiated stairs elegantly, and even sat down for a couple of tracks to switch up the look. They also graciously invited 5 elated fans up on stage to help out with a song.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/PTXofficial">@PTXofficial</a> singing with some awesome Pinoy fans :) <a href="https://t.co/9cs3wL9WeH">pic.twitter.com/9cs3wL9WeH</a></p>— Wyatt Ong (@wyattcaraway) <a href="https://twitter.com/wyattcaraway/status/779684675191119873">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The set list was an unusual mix of music, from pop covers to classics to original material that kept things flowing with a natural ease. The Daft Punk medley was a crowd favorite, evident from the ear-piecing joyous shrieks from the fans.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Daft Punk medley...flawless as ever! <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/EMdxHkEGan">pic.twitter.com/EMdxHkEGan</a></p>— Wyatt Ong (@wyattcaraway) <a href="https://twitter.com/wyattcaraway/status/779686593007235072">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Another crowd-pleaser and one of my favorites too, was when Kevin took center stage with his cello as the others took a break.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/KOlusola">@KOlusola</a> on cello tonight!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTXWorldTourMNL?src=hash">#PTXWorldTourMNL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PTXofficial">@PTXofficial</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/crIiByQm34">pic.twitter.com/crIiByQm34</a></p>— Vernise L. Tantuco (@verntantuco) <a href="https://twitter.com/verntantuco/status/779687915475447808">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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He wowed the audience performing a song with an original spin, amazingly combining his beatbox vocals with a traditional classical piece, something you don’t hear everyday. They then segued to one cover they didn't perform in their 2015 show: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, as well as "Say Something" by A Great Big World.
I was also impressed with the track that was part of their encore, “Light in the Hallway”, where they asked the crowd to be super quiet so they could sing without using their handheld microphones, impressive indeed.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Poignant moment from <a href="https://twitter.com/PTXofficial">@PTXofficial</a> : Light In The Hallway. Good night! <a href="https://t.co/YLagjXvqGZ">pic.twitter.com/YLagjXvqGZ</a></p>— Wyatt Ong (@wyattcaraway) <a href="https://twitter.com/wyattcaraway/status/779719005682618368">September 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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It may seem odd to some folks to attend a concert where there are basically no musical instruments, other than the performers' voices alone.
But keep an open mind and check out this group, they may just win you over regardless of what style or genre of music you prefer. – Rappler.com