Pentatonix @ Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO

Word and pictures by Duane Clawson

When covering live music you can prepare well in advance for most shows but occasionally what you prepare for isn't what you experience.  In this case, I was prepared to cover Pentatonix at the Old Rock House but I was not prepared for the diverse sold out audience.  Pentatonix is an acappella quintet with humble beginnings as a trio in Arlington, TX consisting of Scott Hoying, Kristie Maldanado, and Mitch Grassi. Each member brings something unique to the group, from the pant leg-rattling bass vocals of Avi Kaplan to the funky beatboxing of Kevin Olusola, Pentatonix puts a fresh spin on modern hits and proven classics. 

As I mentioned, the audience at the Rock House was diverse to say the least. The gamut of ranges seemed to range from ages 8 to 80. It was only after the show I found the group’s popularity was due in part to winning Season 3 of NBC’s The Sing Off.   The group’s harmonies are also popular among school age kids that involved in choir and school singing groups.  In talking with the Rock House audience, I found some had traveled for hours from Kansas City and Arkansas to see the group.  Pentatonix was not without large amounts of audience participation: dividing everyone up for a group singalong, bringing a young lady onstage for a serenade, and pulling a youngster out the crowd in a “mini Scott” t-shirt for a quick photo.  All led to winning over St. Louis.

On June 26th of this year, Pentatonix released their debut EP, PTX Volume 1, which made a strong showing by entering the Billboard top 200 charts at #14.  The group has recently released a Christmas EP, PTXmas, for your listening approval.  To sum, PTX’s popularity, as I heard one young man say on his way out the doors of the Old Rock House, “I can officially die now.”  I’m not sure about the “officially dying” thing but I must say Pentatonix was pretty darn good.  A special thanks to Ken Phillips from Ken Phillips Media Group and Pentatonix for allowing MTC to cover the show.   Pictures of the show are below:

Contributed by Duane Clawson