PTX takes over Las Vegas

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By Ryann Heinlen

The PTX group is met by a crowd of screaming fans as they open the show with a mashup of their hit Youtube mashups. (Photo by Mitch Grassi)
The PTX group is met by a crowd of screaming fans as they open the show with a mashup of their hit Youtube mashups. (Photo by Mitch Grassi)

A capella has taken over pop culture with its own movie, and now Pentatonix, an a capella group, is climbing the charts. The quintet, with no instrumentals in the background, emerged on stage dressed in casual black and white themed attire.

The group started their concert with a mashup of all of their covers on Youtube, including “Problem” by Ariana Grande and a plethora of songs from Beyoncé’s career dating back to her time in Destiny’s Child. The lights shining behind them and the fog that enveloped them in mystery created a supernatural introduction.

After performing songs off of their latest album, “PTX Volume III”, Kevin Olusola left the stage and the remaining four gave the crowd the story of how they became who they are including their victory on the NBC hit show “The Sing-Off”. Olusola emerged from the wings, cello in hand, to perform his own beat-boxing and cello-playing solo from his new album entitled “The Renegade.”

Avi Kaplan decided to slow things down by singing “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye to a selected member of the audience. It was funny to watch the woman sitting on the throne at the center of the stage, jumping up and down while her hands covered her shocked expression.

The “On My Way Home Tour” was a great first impression for Pentatonix, with their lovely music and the captivating light shows. Each song had its own color, pulse, and intensity; the fog helping to solidify the illusion.

My favorite performance was their “The Evolution of Music” mash-up from their Youtube channel. The group of five stood took center stage on the bleachers on stage while they sang the highlighted songs from each century starting in the 1500s. This particular song had made its round on Facebook a couple of months back, helping to broaden their audience and becoming a significant part of their careers.

The group ended their first show in Las Vegas with their original songs “Standing By” and “On My Way Home,” which has been performed a limited number of times. The audience pulled out their phones and illuminated their flashlights as the excited raucous fell into an admiring silence. The group thanked the audience one last time before exiting the stage. The crowd erupted into a chorus of “P-T-X” over and over again.

The five singers jumped back on stage to play their encore song, the “Daft Punk” montage, that propelled the group into internet stardom. With more than 122 million views on Youtube, it was safe to say that this song gave them the break they needed in order to win their first Grammy this year.