On December 18, I went to see Pentatonix at The Beacon theater.
This was with some trepidation. I'd been there three times before. Twice the volume was way too high.
Once was when I went to see Il Volo, a classical group that you wouldn't have expected to blast out their audience's ears. The Beacon isn't that big of a theater. Traditional acoustic instruments should be able to fill it without amplification. Violins, for instance, are really loud instruments. Classically trained singers also shouldn't need amplification, or only very slight amplification
The other loud time was Cyndi Lauper's Home for the Holidays charity concert. Now, at that concert, they had some rock and metal performers, so loud might have been expected, but they were loud when Josh Groban performed. Josh debuted a new song at that concert. Unfortunately, not only was the amplification too loud, but it was also distorted, so that the words of Josh's song were incomprehensible.
The third time was when I went to a full Josh Groban concert. That time it was not too loud, but the first half of the concert had distorted acoustics that ruined the beautiful sound of Josh's voice. Fortunately, they fixed it after intermission, but only after torturing us for the first half
So I had concerns about hearing Pentatonix there.
Fortunately, I'm pleased to report that the sound was loud, but not so loud that I needed ear plugs, unlike Il Volo. I found out that the Beacon stocks ear plugs at the customer service desk. I try to have ear plugs with me at all times, but it's a pity to pay money to hear a live concert and then have to wear ear plugs.
Unfortunately, I wished I had brought sun glasses because they kept shining bright lights directly into my eyes, which was very painful. Why do you do these things to your audience Beacon? Why don't you adjust the angle so it's above the audience. Granted I was near the top of the balcony, but I didn't pay money to have you hurt my eyes.
My historic experience with popular music has always been that it's unpleasant. YouTube has given me hope that I can find music that I like. A cappella groups have been good for me at least on YouTube. Some of the most annoying instrumental sounds are absent.
It was interesting comparing the live sound with the YouTube sound. Some of the performers sounded better. Others sounded worse.
Kirstin was notable in sounding incredibly good live, while less remarkable on YouTube. I've always felt that recording and amplification systems tend to discriminate against women's voices. This was a case in point. She was also a real trooper, performing with a leg that was broken and only recently out of a cast. She sounded fantastic anyway.
Another standout was Matt. I have a hard time hearing him on YouTube. Live, with the bass turned up, he became much more audible. When he was singing harmony, I could feel his notes resonating in my sternum. I liked it. When he sang solos, his voice was exquisite. I don't think he's as deep a bass as Avi was, but his low baritone range is delicious, whereas Avi's voice is uninteresting at the higher notes.
Kevin, I felt, was under amplified. This was particularly noticeable when he did his remarkable solo with simultaneous cello and beat boxing. I could hear the cello, but had a hard time hearing the beat boxing. When he's played cello on line, he's used an acoustic cello. This time he used an electric cello. The electric cello was over amplified and distorted. I didn't like it. The acoustic versions on line are better.
Scott was underamplified. I had difficulty hearing his solos. It sounded like his voice was rougher in a live performance than it was online. Also, I couldn't help but noticing what remarkably skinny legs he has.
Mitch was a bit of a disappointment live. His soaring countertenor solos online are quite impressive, but less so in person. He hit all the notes, but somehow his tone didn't seem as good.
Overall, though, they did a good job, They kept it together and had a good sense of rhythm. The amplification of Matt's bass really helped give texture to the music.
They did one song without mics. It was quieter than the other songs, but it sounded lovely, because, after all, The Beacon is an old theater with good acoustics and amplification isn't all that necessary, except for the beat boxing, which they didn't try to do without mics.
There was an opening act. This was a similar a cappella group, except all females. I gather, from his tweets, that Scott is somehow involved with this other group. Perhaps he is the director. They had a different sound from Pentatonix, though. To me, they sounded more like the jazzy singers I used to hear as a kid. Curiously, they called their lowest singer a bass, though I don't think she would be as low as a male bass.
The other group was called Citizen Queen. I'm not sure how they get away with that, given all the recent focus on the rock group called Queen, which is getting a lot of attention now.
