The Trinity Voice – April 22, 2016 – “Pentatonix Concert Review”
“As soon as Pentatonix came on stage, the crowd went wild. They kicked the night off with one of their original songs, “Cracked.” As the night continued, PTX sang songs ranging from their own popular tracks like “Can’t Sleep Love,” to multiple Justin Bieber songs and even a Michael Jackson medley. PTX sang many covers from other artists that night, including “NO” by Meghan Trainor, “Say Something” by A Great Big World and “Cheerleader” by OMI.
An added bonus for fans was seeing PTX perform an original song with Us The Duo. The two bands performed “If I Ever Fall in Love” creating an awesome collaboration. Overall, the concert was a success, and fans from all over had an enjoyable time.”
Santa Barbara Independent – May 2, 2016 – “Pentatonix, Us The Duo Wow In A Capella”
“Pentatonix were something special indeed. From their Daft Punk medley to Kevin Olusola’s astounding beatbox-cello solo set, the five friends showed almost supernatural abilities of cohesion and pop pep, their voices and mouth-made beats rising and falling silkily like a human mixing board. With the grace of aerial acrobatics, the voices of and Avi Kaplan, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonad, Mitch Grassi, and Olusola emulated electronic sounds and evoked the layering of orchestras with irresistible pop exuberance on songs like “I Need Your Love” and “Cheerleader.”
But what also made theirs and Us The Duo’s performances was the very YouTube sensation of watching someone relatable soar, the joy of watching a human like you or me doing way-above-average things.”
Best of Las Vegas – March 2, 2015 – “With Pentatonix, It’s The Singing Not The Song”
“A cappella groups such as Pentatonix are born of high school choirs and performing arts schools, where real singing is fueled by an innate desire to be onstage. So even if Pentatonix is America’s hottest “cover band” — taking an Ariana Grande loaner to open a show with “Problems” or briefly climbing aboard the very crowded “Uptown Funk” train — it’s one that makes the singing more valuable than the song.”
The Hollywood Reporter – April 12, 2014 – “Pentatonix Closes an Evolution Chapter at Sold-Out Beacon Theater in NYC”
“The electro-infused quintet opened their 90-minute setlist from behind a translucent white sheet, as spotlights danced over their faces for their high-energy Daft Punk medley opener. The sheet then dropped away to reveal the casually dressed singers, dancing and jumping atop a bare set of ramps and stairs and a fabric, blacklight-friendly PTX graphic — and not a single instrument in sight.”
“Throughout the show, solo moments by bass Kaplan and beatboxer Olusola triggered the loudest audience roars – and the most “I love you’s” from female fans – so a segment spotlighting what Sing-Off judge Shawn Stockman calls the group’s “meat and potatoes” section was a crowd-pleaser. Kaplan indulged the theater with a sampling of overtone singing (singing two notes at once), instructing the audience to “listen to the Mariah Carey whistle tones you hear behind me.” Olusola then sat down with his cello for an original song “Renegade,” in which he beatboxes and plays simultaneously, immediately earning a standing ovation before the group covered A Great Big World’s “Say Something.” Pentatonix closed the final show of their tour with a confetti-drenched “Can’t Hold Us” byMacklemore & Ryan Lewis, followed by an encore with the duo’s “Thrift Shop” and fun.’s “We Are Young.”
The Permanent Rain Press – April 28, 2016 – “Pentatonix with Us The Duo and AJ at the Pacific Coliseum”
“First of all, let me say that this group is dedicated. They’ve been on tour for over two weeks already, but they still find time to pre-film and manage their YouTube channel (Superfruit just posted a video with Connor Franta a couple days ago). It’s this dedication to their online presence that makes fans so obsessed – I can attest to this because the little boy sitting behind me knew the lyrics to every song. While it takes most artists some time to warm up the crowd, Pentatonix had the audience going from the very start. The ensemble has this natural appeal to them where you can’t seem to look away. Perhaps it’s their astonishing vocal ability (from Avi’s bass to Mitch’s tenor!), their novelty (Kevin’s cello beatboxing solo, where he beatboxed to the Prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1), or their popular song choices (including “No,” “Love Yourself,” “The Evolution of Michael Jackson” and “Daft Punk”), but Pentatonix impressed in every aspect. It’s no argument that Pentatonix is extraordinary.”
Redbrick – May 29, 2016 – “Live Review: Pentatonix”
It was a simple stage set up, some bright lights, a packed out audience and five extremely talented individuals seemingly set on blowing everyone’s minds. The energy was unreal throughout the show so whenever you got just a second to pause it really hit you what these guys were doing; that everything you were hearing was made with their mouths. You just couldn’t help but have a moment. It’s a difficult thing to explain until you’re there and you realise how just completely insane and how ridiculously skilled you must be to pull off the kind of show that they did. The show had everything it could have needed; an excited crowd, flashing lights, fans singing along and getting selfies on stage and queues around the corner. It was the perfect mix of covers, medleys and original songs and a performance worthy of the high-flying charting positions of those they were imitating.”
