After an hour stuck in the traffic at Ratchaprasong intersection, we finally made it to CentralWorld just in time to catch Pentatonix -- an American a cappella quintet -- in its first performance in Thailand last week.
The crowd was hyped with over energetic teenage girls charging into GMM Live House in school and girl scout uniforms. Staying up late on a school night for your favourite band? Ah, the things we do for love! The older and more reserved crowd with drinks in their hands swayed to the music of opening acts like Ozmo and Fellow Fellow, while we kept on chanting "PTX! PTX!" during set changes. And when the band finally appeared, with their voices preceding them, the screams were deafening.
Dressed in black and white, Pentatonix wowed the crowd with their angelic voices and pitch-perfect harmony. They sound ridiculously good together on their records, but even better live. Their original songs and cover versions were performed for the audience. There were mash-ups of Michael Jackson and Daft Punk, though my favourite sequence had to be Radioactive and Say Something.
In a five-man band, it can be hard to get each and everyone a moment they can bask in the spotlight. Initially, I thought the lead melodies like Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Kirstin Maldonado would probably steal attention away from the beat and bass of Kevin Olusola and Avi Kaplan. Surprisingly, that was not the case. It was actually an admirable trait during the Pentatonix show. No one was left behind. And everyone got his/her own respective time to shine and show off their individual vocal talent thanks to the music arrangement and set list.
In the end, the one who stole the show was probably the crazily talented Olusola, who performed a cello solo. His simultaneous performance of cello and beatboxing (known as celloboxing) was breathtaking. It left the crowd wondering how his brain operates. Is there anything this man cannot do? The show, in its entirety, owes a lot to Olusola, who gave it an immaculate rhythm and beat.
It takes five very different individuals and voices to carry Pentatonix to where they are now. And it wasn't hard to see how the quintet's music became a big hit. Their energy was good from start to finish. Their harmony was flawless. And their talent was all the more pronounced during the encore when they performed their original Light In The Hallway with just one stage microphone set low between them. The crowd was silent as bass vocal Kaplan took charge with his deep, resonating voice. And the moment was magical.
The concert's set up was satisfyingly simple. Five members basked under streams of light against a computer graphic backdrop. Their hands gripped around a microphone. And that was enough for Pentatonix to win over the Bangkok crowd. However, it was too bad the side screens didn't capture and display the band's movement, opting instead to play colourful imagery. It must've been quite difficult for younger audiences to crane their necks for a good look at the band. Well, at least they had their smartphone screen as a personal compensation tool for blocked views.
