FALL 2015
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Pentatonix Delivers Exciting Performance
With help from openers Abi and Us the Duo
Jessica Barry,‘ 18 Contributor
Pentatonix performed at TD Garden in Boston on November 9. Country and pop singer Abi, and pop and folk band Us the Duo opened the four hour concert. Abi, also known as Abi Ann on her Facebook page, performed first, playing seven pop-sounding songs with a country spin, including“ Future Ex-Boyfriend.” The songs sounded good, and the singer’ s voice was great, but the crowd did not have a large reaction because she is not that popular yet, and we were still excitedly waiting to hear Pentatonix. Abi exclaimed how much she enjoyed playing in Boston, which made the crowd a little more excited, but overall they were fairly quiet. The next band was Us the Duo; they played eight pop-like songs with haunting undertones, which made them sound unique. The duo is a married couple, and they had amazing voices. Both were very talented at playing various instruments. Later on, Us the Duo was invited back to the stage to perform with Pentatonix, singing Dolly Parton ' s“ Jolene.” Their performance was fantastic, earning a great response from the audience. Finally, after about two hours from the openers, Pentatonix performed 18 songs( including " Na Na Na," " Misbeavin " and " Daft Punk ") plus two encores(“ Light in the Hallway” and“ Sing”). They performed many of their original songs from their multiple albums, but also sang covers of popular songs including“ Cheerleader” by OMI,“ No” by Meaghan Trainor and“ Gold” by Kiiara, which got the crowd excited and even more involved. The audience was extremely active in singing and dancing along while they performed and gave multiple standing ovations. They even encouraged an encore at the end by cheering until Pentatonix came back out on stage. The concert was very well done because of the amazing performances from the opening bands leading up to Pentatonix coming out on stage. It was both exciting and interactive, with Pentatonix inviting a few people onstage to sing with them. They also said how they love performing in Boston while sharing a bit of their personal lives in between songs. Pentatonix sounded very similar to their recordings, and it was extremely enjoyable to listen to as a fan of the group. The audience was also enthusiastic with the performance and showed that by singing along and cheering loudly. Attending the concert was an amazing experience because of how the bands sounded, and the overall cheerful atmosphere in the venue. They made the concert superb. Pentatonix has a new Christmas album out called " A Pentatonix Christmas " featuring the group’ s arrangement of the recently departed Leonard Cohen classic“ Hallelujah,” And, their Christmas special, featuring Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson will air on NBC on December 14.
“ PENTATONIX
SOUNDED VERY SIMILAR TO THEIR RECORDINGS, AND THEY WERE EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE TO LISTEN TO.”
JESSICA BARRY‘ 18
Pentatonix( Promotional RCA Records)
Coldplay Lights Up Gillette
A show filled with color and incredible performances
Emily Dankese‘ 20 Contributor
On July 30 Coldplay visited Gillette Stadium to play for a sold-out crowd. Their recent album and tour is called“ A Head Full of Dreams." Not only did the band play almost every song on their new album, they also played many old hits dating back to 2000. Front man and vocalist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion entertained the energized crowd with over two hours of music. Every fan who entered was given a“ Xyloband,” which is an LED wristband equipped with a radio receiver that can be programmed to light up at specific times or in sync with the music, to create a sea of colors. After two upbeat opening performances by Alessia Cara and Foxes, the pitch black stadium lit up red as the band appeared on stage. The show kicked off with confetti and fireworks as the band opened with“ A Head Full of Dreams.” Fans would not have a chance to sit down for the next six songs, including“ Yellow,” their 2000 breakthrough hit. For that one, the stadium turned yellow with lights and Xylobands as the song was introduced.
After that, the audience settled in to listen, and cry, to a moving performance of“ The Scientist.” Later, the band sang an energetic“ Paradise,” while the Xylobands changed from purple to blue to green. Martin danced with the audience running up and down the stage’ s runway. After performing for 45 minutes, Martin talked to the audience for a while. Shortly after, the band played the beautiful song " Everglow," with a world peace video in the background. Red Xylobands and lasers flashed across the stadium during the performance of the band ' s 2002 hit“ Clocks.” While dancing to“ Charlie Brown,” it seemed as though everyone forgot their worries and just enjoyed the moment. The new hit song, " Hymn for the Weekend " followed. Then, Coldplay belted out the stunning song“ Fix You,” which was full of passion and enthusiasm. It brought everyone together, singing the lyrics while Martin caught his breath. The band surprised the audience with a cover of David Bowie’ s“ Heroes” as a tribute to the late artist. After that the audience was back on their feet screaming every lyric of“ Viva La Vida.” As soon as the audience heard
Buckland play the“ Adventure of a Lifetime” guitar riff, everyone was dancing. Confetti shot into the air and giant balloons were thrown out into the crowd. The band played four songs on the tiny C- stage, located towards the back of the stadium. Later on, Martin told the crowd that the C-stage was about the size of the room of one of their first gigs. All four Coldplay members were extremely modest and kind, sincerely thanking everyone for coming out to see them. Although light rain started to come down, it didn’ t kill the band ' s or the audience’ s energy as the encore started. The audience slowly swayed back and forth listening to the melodious“ Amazing Day.” The audience was brought back to 2014 when the hit“ A Sky Full of Stars” began to play. The Xylobands turned dark and turquoise blue, sparkling, and making Gillette really look like a sky full of stars. " Up and Up," the new song that was played at the Superbowl, brought everyone together for one last time as fireworks exploded. The concert was surely not one to miss. For people who missed it, or want to see Coldplay again, they will be back at Gillette on August 4, 2017.
Coldplay at Gillette Stadium( Photo by Emily Dankese‘ 20)
“ Fans would not have a chance to sit down for the next six songs.”
Emily Dankese‘ 20