It was a rainy Tuesday night when I witnessed the presence of God—by God, I mean the incredibly talented and amazing a cappella group, Pentatonix. I have had a love affair with a cappella for such a long time, and it is thanks to them that I treasure a cappella to this day. Instead of doing my math homework, I would be busy trying to learn the hand claps and knee pats of Pentatonix’s version of “White Winter Hymnal.” While painting my nails, I would put on Superfruit Q & A videos where Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi would leave me laughing for hours on end. The five members of the worldly famous a cappella quintet had such talent and charm that they never make me bored or dissatisfied with each arrangement they release—instead, they leave me wanting more.
I don’t think a holiday season for me is complete without shuffling Pentatonix Christmas music on our family’s Amazon Echo Dot along with Josh Groban and Michael Buble. I would listen to the soothing harmonies and catchy beats of “Little Drummer Boy” while sipping hot chocolate in our overly-decorated living room. Sure, the classic songs from artists like Brenda Lee and Gene Autry were a joy to hear from our local radio station, but Pentatonix Christmas music hits different.
When I heard that Pentatonix was coming to Boston for their 2019 Christmas tour, I didn’t have to think twice when I clicked “Purchase” on Ticketmaster. My roommate and I were ecstatic when we received the confirmation that our tickets were secured for the evening of December 10. Several months passed before our excitement for the five-member a cappella group came at an all-time high.
I won’t lie, I pretty much forgot where we were sitting on the concert day. I knew we had floor seats, but I was afraid we would be too far back that we wouldn’t be able to see (it was more of a concern for me, since I’m very small). Turns out, I was wrong and my breath was taken away. We had such a clear view that it was like I could hold a picture frame right in front of me and the stage would be smack dab in the center of that frame. My roommate and I sat giddy and excited in our seats as we waited patiently for the concert to begin.
After waiting for what felt like forever, the lights quickly dimmed, and the audience went wild, including us. As a short animated clip of the members sampling some of their most famous Christmas arrangements played on the wide screen, I was squeezing my roommate’s hand with excitement. Five singers were about to be in front of my eyes to perform for an hour and a half—singers who I have looked up to since middle school. After a choral-like introduction of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” with their silhouettes in front of a lit-up stage, there was a millisecond-long switch to spotlights on the five members on stage as they continued singing the famous Christmas hymn, in the style of a gospel choir. They were all so beautiful—Kirstie (alto/soprano) was literally glowing. I couldn’t get the smile off of my face—I cheered and hollered so loudly that I started getting stares from people sitting around me, but I didn’t have a care in the world because I had five gifted singers right in front of my eyes to admire.
The group performed a multitude of songs before finally addressing the audience for coming out to their concert. During some points in the concert, some of the members would go off stage into the audience to engage and interact with them. An alum of the Berklee College of Music, Matt Sallee (bass) called Boston a second home for him, which brought so many people, including me, a lot of joy. This was the group’s biggest venue of the tour so far, and fans cheered when Kevin Olusola (beatboxer) called Boston one of their best audiences.
There were so many parts of the concert that I absolutely loved (by many parts, I mean all of it), but I think one of my personal favorite performances that they did was their arrangement of “Mary, Did You Know?” This song was really special to me because it pretty much served as a gateway for me to get invested in the plethora of Pentatonix holiday music. Another favorite of mine was “Making Christmas,” not only because I love The Nightmare Before Christmas an unbelievable amount, but it totally changed the vibe of the concert for a brief moment with its spookiness and dramatic vibes.
I think one of the most memorable parts of the evening was when Scott (baritone) told the story of how they got Kevin as a beatboxer prior to their audition for the singing competition, The Sing Off. There was a viral video during the week the group was looking for a beatboxer, and that video was of Kevin beatboxing while playing the cello. They reached out to him if he wanted to fly across the country to be a part of their group and Kevin agreed after being reluctant to leave during studying for pre-med finals at Yale University. While the audience was in shock and disbelief in this story, Scott introduced Kevin’s celloboxing solo, and people went absolutely berzerk. There was a standing ovation for him for about a solid minute, and rightfully so.
After performing their arrangement of “Hallelujah” with people in the crowd waving their bright phones to create a sea of stars, the members announced that they wanted to try something different, “old-school a cappella” they called it. They proceeded to sing their original song “That’s Christmas to Me” with no way amplifying their sound except for the one standing microphone that they were surrounding. My roommate and I, as well as the rest of the audience, were dead silent in order to hear the beauty of their voices. A tear rolled down my cheek as they were finishing the song; their way of creating beauty through music reminded me of my time in high school choir and a cappella. The choir room served as a sanctuary for me to express myself creatively, and I was involved in a community that wanted to share the same amount of love I had for music. I guess this is why I look up to Pentatonix so much—singing serves as a way for me to evoke my feelings when words fail.
For their encore, they performed their version of “Joyful, Joyful” from a beloved movie of mine, Sister Act II. Halfway through the song, the members went into the audience, and I nearly lost my voice when I saw Scott and Mitch (tenor) a mere 10 feet away from me. We were clapping and singing along with them, and I have never felt more happy than that moment.
We left the venue sentimental and filled with endless amounts of joy from how much fun we had in that hour and a half. I also left with an overpriced hoodie from the merch table, but alas, I have absolutely no regrets. I was sad that the concert had to end, but there was no doubt that we played their Christmas albums on repeat as soon as we reached our dorm room. So thank you Pentatonix, for reminding me that music serves as a safe haven from the rest of the world, that music is a way of communication and a guarantee for happiness.