So, a few months ago, I saw that Pentatonix was going to be performing in Mobile, AL in December. Never heard of Pentatonix? Well, check out this YouTube video and prepare for extreme music euphoria (it's got a bit of music for everyone in it):
My friend Kevin Olusola is the percussionist/beat boxer in the group (he is also an internationally celebrated concert cellist!) He's such a great guy - very humble even in the midst of the rapid fame he's experienced in the past 3 years. I'm so happy to see my fellow Morsel/Yalie following his dreams and succeeding!
Well, way back in September, I convinced my other Yale friend, Caroline, to plan to take the 2.5 hour drive with me out to Mobile to see Pentatonix perform a holiday concert with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. At that time (when Medical School wasn't weighing down on Caroline) this seemed like a really good idea. But as the final crunch of the semester and research rained down on us this week, we were getting a bit anxious about balancing our work load with our road trip. But, we were committed. We were so committed that I drove for 3 hours in the pouring rain, at night, to get us there.
After such a long drive, it was so great to see the effervescent theater lights welcoming us to Mobile. (Did I just hear angels sing from up on high?)
Caroline and I got settled into our seats. We were both brimming with excitement. I had seen Kevin perform in North Carolina and I already knew how energetic, captivating, and mind-blowing their liver performances were...I couldn't wait to watch Caroline's reaction!
The concert opened up with the Mobile Sympohny Orchestra playing some lovely holiday classics -- bright, happy numbers that got everyone in the Christmas spirit. The crowd was loving it! Then, Pentatonix came out and performed their version of "Little Drummer Boy" and proceeded to win over the hearts of every single person in that audience in under five minutes.
The energy was electrifying and the crowd was going crazy with excitement. Honestly, by the end of that concert I felt like everyone in the theater would have willing taken a bullet for Pentatonix (Even the 80 year old lady sitting next to me in her bedazzled Frosty The Snowman sweater).
For the next two hours, Pentatonix performed alongside of the orchestra and sometimes they sang a cappella. One of my favorite pieces was their version of "Aha," which paired so well with an orchestral background. Everyone was rocking out to this song: the theater nerds in front of me were throwing out jazz hands like they were Mardi Gras beads on Fat Tuesday; the adorable old ladies next to me were swaying along to the wicked base line; and the over-enthused teenage girls to my left were shouting, "WE LOVE YOUUUUUUU!" Yup. That about sums it up...
....that is, until Kevin came out and performed a cello/beat boxing mash up that totally blew every other song out of the water! The crowd fell 100% completely in love with him. That old lady I mentioned, was the first one to rocket upwards for the standing ovation. Who knew she could move that fast -- a blur of red cloth, puffy snowman parts, and glinting jewels.
The concert ended with Pentatonix and the orchestra leading the entire audience in a Christmas Carol sing-along. It was awesome! Everyone was up on their feet singing at the top of their lungs. Such a sense of community and togetherness among people who were completely unassociated prior to the concert. Music is so magical in that it can create those bonds so quickly among strangers. Wow. Love it!
After the concert, Caroline and I enjoyed walking around Mobile and people watching. We were laughing because the autograph line was out the door and around the corner. We sent Kevin a warning message that he had to make a lot of people's dreams come true before we would have the chance to catch up.
Around 11:30 we were finally able to chill out in the hotel and just reminisce about college with Kevin -- share our dreams for the future, exchange news on our fellow college friends, and talk about topics ranging from that evocative "Invisible Child" article in the New York Times to Zach Efron & puppies. Before we knew it, it was 2:30am in the morning and Caroline and I had to drive back to New Orleans (you know, to get back to studying and research!)
Something to put you back in the Christmas spirit:
My friend Kevin Olusola is the percussionist/beat boxer in the group (he is also an internationally celebrated concert cellist!) He's such a great guy - very humble even in the midst of the rapid fame he's experienced in the past 3 years. I'm so happy to see my fellow Morsel/Yalie following his dreams and succeeding!
Well, way back in September, I convinced my other Yale friend, Caroline, to plan to take the 2.5 hour drive with me out to Mobile to see Pentatonix perform a holiday concert with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. At that time (when Medical School wasn't weighing down on Caroline) this seemed like a really good idea. But as the final crunch of the semester and research rained down on us this week, we were getting a bit anxious about balancing our work load with our road trip. But, we were committed. We were so committed that I drove for 3 hours in the pouring rain, at night, to get us there.
After such a long drive, it was so great to see the effervescent theater lights welcoming us to Mobile. (Did I just hear angels sing from up on high?)
Caroline and I got settled into our seats. We were both brimming with excitement. I had seen Kevin perform in North Carolina and I already knew how energetic, captivating, and mind-blowing their liver performances were...I couldn't wait to watch Caroline's reaction!
The concert opened up with the Mobile Sympohny Orchestra playing some lovely holiday classics -- bright, happy numbers that got everyone in the Christmas spirit. The crowd was loving it! Then, Pentatonix came out and performed their version of "Little Drummer Boy" and proceeded to win over the hearts of every single person in that audience in under five minutes.
The energy was electrifying and the crowd was going crazy with excitement. Honestly, by the end of that concert I felt like everyone in the theater would have willing taken a bullet for Pentatonix (Even the 80 year old lady sitting next to me in her bedazzled Frosty The Snowman sweater).
For the next two hours, Pentatonix performed alongside of the orchestra and sometimes they sang a cappella. One of my favorite pieces was their version of "Aha," which paired so well with an orchestral background. Everyone was rocking out to this song: the theater nerds in front of me were throwing out jazz hands like they were Mardi Gras beads on Fat Tuesday; the adorable old ladies next to me were swaying along to the wicked base line; and the over-enthused teenage girls to my left were shouting, "WE LOVE YOUUUUUUU!" Yup. That about sums it up...
....that is, until Kevin came out and performed a cello/beat boxing mash up that totally blew every other song out of the water! The crowd fell 100% completely in love with him. That old lady I mentioned, was the first one to rocket upwards for the standing ovation. Who knew she could move that fast -- a blur of red cloth, puffy snowman parts, and glinting jewels.
The concert ended with Pentatonix and the orchestra leading the entire audience in a Christmas Carol sing-along. It was awesome! Everyone was up on their feet singing at the top of their lungs. Such a sense of community and togetherness among people who were completely unassociated prior to the concert. Music is so magical in that it can create those bonds so quickly among strangers. Wow. Love it!
After the concert, Caroline and I enjoyed walking around Mobile and people watching. We were laughing because the autograph line was out the door and around the corner. We sent Kevin a warning message that he had to make a lot of people's dreams come true before we would have the chance to catch up.
Around 11:30 we were finally able to chill out in the hotel and just reminisce about college with Kevin -- share our dreams for the future, exchange news on our fellow college friends, and talk about topics ranging from that evocative "Invisible Child" article in the New York Times to Zach Efron & puppies. Before we knew it, it was 2:30am in the morning and Caroline and I had to drive back to New Orleans (you know, to get back to studying and research!)
Something to put you back in the Christmas spirit:
No comments:
Post a Comment