REVIEW: Pentatonix brings Christmas to Smart Financial Centre

On Nov. 26, 2018, Pentatonix brought Christmas to life at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas with the “Christmas is Here Tour!” With Christmas being right around the corner, Pentatonix, known for singing a cappella, brings the Christmas spirit on tour around the nation. The group got their recognition on a singing competition, “The Sing-Off,” in 2011.

Kirstin Maldonado, Mitchell Grassi and Scott Hoying started the group in high school in Arlington, Texas. Now with Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee, the group embarked on their nine-city tour. Their first stop was in Grand Prairie, Texas before Sugar Land. Pentatonix started out this tour where they first began their road to stardom.

The group started out with “What Christmas Means To Me.” Not only did they cover classic songs, but they also did “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood and “Making Christmas” from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Olusola, the group’s beatboxer, did his rendition of “Prelude” from Bach. It was an amazing spin on one of the classics. Their biggest cover is of the song “Hallelujah.” The crowd went wild for this song, it was definitely the crowd favorite of the night. Their last song was an encore song of the iconic song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. They covered it and made it their own. It turned out amazing.

Unfortunately for Maldonado, she was restricted by the boot on her foot for her broken ankle. Even though she was restricted, she put on a performance of a lifetime. The crowd didn’t mind either, they still cheered her on when she would hit all her notes. The boot on Maldonado’s foot did not stop her from having fun on tour. While the boys would run around in the crowd, Maldonado would stay on stage and perform. When the boys went into the crowd, they would give gifts to some of the children.

The stage was set up with four Christmas trees and a huge hanging wreath. They also have their iconic white couch in the middle of the stage. In “Here Comes Santa Claus,” they had a member of their team dress up as Santa Claus and danced around the stage. Pentatonix rode out on a sleigh during “Sleigh Ride.”

The whole night brought the Christmas spirit. It was a full crowd and not a seat could be found. People could not stop cheering for the a cappella group. Pentatonix brought Christmas to life in November.