Pentatonix w/ Us the Duo
WaMu Theater, Seattle, WA
04.27.16
An evening devoid of instruments or digital sound effects is not your typical concert-going experience, but Grammy-winning a cappella group Pentatonix filled the air of Seattle’s WaMu Theatre with a jaw-dropping amount of talent. With their pure vocals and harmonic swag, the group has been making quite a name for themselves since their 2011 formation, with high-energy covers as well as original work.
Opening for Pentatonix was Us The Duo, the husband and wife team of Michael and Carissa Alvarado. Equipped with a small keyboard, mic stand, two guitars, and one bass they looked miniature on the expansive stage, but their performance was anything but small. UTD’s American folk songs, both originals and covers, showcased Carissa’s beautiful power vocals which were complimented perfectly by Michael’s supporting vocals and keyboard. A crowd favorite was an original song, “’Til the Morning Comes,” taking its inspiration from Johnny Cash and June Carter.
A real treat during their set was a performance of the song they co-wrote as their wedding vows. Luckily for the crowd, it happened to be their fourth wedding anniversary. “No Matter Where You Are” summed up these two gifted people: fun, dynamic, positive, supportive, and heartfelt.
For their very last song, UTD played a melody of the top songs of 2015 all mashed together in two and a half minutes. Cleverly starting with the Apple ring tone on piano, the first song opened up to Adele’s “Hello.” Each bit of melody lasted long enough to be recognizable, and they were on to the next song, including Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” OMI’s “Cheerleader,” Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen,” Hoizer’s “Take Me to Church,” Silento’s “Watch Me,” One Direction’s “Drag Me Down,” and Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It,” to name a few. The song finished with an even more complex assortment of melodies, from Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” to The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk.” A pretty eclectic batch of songs, all admirably assembled to sound like one cohesive track, and the perfect transition to Pentatonix.
Pentatonix may be best known for adding their own unique style when covering popular songs. That style, of course, being a cappella. It is truly incredible to witness PTX in person. The artists work as a team, each member in perfect harmony, contributing their part to create a unified sound. As a concert-goer it sounds like any other complete song would, it just has a completely different look when the band members are free to move and dance around the stage without the limitations of multiple instruments.
Opening the set with “Cracked,” PTX showed that not only can they cover hit tracks; they are incredible songwriters as well. The show began with each member standing in lit boxes, silhouetted and dramatically rising up on stage. Stepping out, they met the crowd with dynamic and powerful vocal tracks which highlighted the group’s collective talent. Immediately following, PTX started playing the opening track of their eponymous 2015 album, “Na Na Na,” arguably the most upbeat original song of the night.
They delivered a stunning mashup tribute to the King of Pop, Michel Jackson, made complete with Thriller moves, moonwalking across the stage, and a blend of Jackson 5 hits as well. Another notable song was a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” as the group shared that they loved performing this song, but have only done it a few times.
The night continued with each PTX member featuring their own extraordinary skills in individual solos. The most astonishing was… accompanied by cello (the only physical instrument on the a cappella stage that night). It started as a beautiful Bach prelude but twisted into a beat-box modern number by the end.
The imaginative execution of every song proved PTX are true creative artists. Most incredibly, they were also genuinely grateful for such a large and energetic audience, saying more than once, “I can’t believe you are all here for an a cappella show… what?! Seriously.” The whole night was upbeat and unpredictable, including fans invited on stage to sing with them. Everyone sat on beanbag chairs and took selfies throughout the song, almost like old friends singing around a campfire. These down-to-earth and charismatic singers made a lasting impression that left us singing along for days.
Review by Allie Leaf
Photos by Logan Westom
Pentatonix
Us the Duo 
