Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody Insights: So, some things to know about this cover and video: -It took PTX years to get the arrangement to where they felt they could do the original masterpiece justice. -The cover, and especially the video, was meant to be an homage to Queen. Some of the moments paying respect were: The mono-recording of the line "easy come, easy go" followed by the panning of the voices from left to right on the line "little high, little low" (which is how the original was recorded), obviously the flashlights being used to mimic the lighting on the operatic part of the original video, the four shooting stars to represent the four members of Queen, as well as acknowledge the fact that Dr. Brian May is an astrophysicist, and the overhead shot of them lying on the couch is to represent the Sheer Heart Attack album cover. -The megaphone was just a prop. It is not needed to reproduce the electric guitar distortion. -PTX can, and does, perform this live with no backing track...something even Queen and the Great Freddie Mercury could not do. -Freddy once said he didn't care what people did with his music as long as they "...don't make it boring, darling!", so I think he would absolutely approve. -The overall video--with the "living room" and couch--is an homage to Pentatonix's own journey as a group. They lost their record deal right after winning the Sing Off and moving to LA, so they started putting out videos on RU-vid, performing covers. They would sit on the couch in Kevin (beatboxer) and Avi's (bass) living room and just record themselves on Mitch's (counter tenor who took the lead on this song) iPad. Some of their earliest videos went viral and they eventually were able to secure a new deal, record an EP, go on tour, release chart-topping albums and win three Grammy awards...so they moved out of the living room and down this new, unknown road. At the end of the day, though, they're still the same choir-nerds they've always been; just happy to sit together on a couch and sing. Also when Brian Mays heard it... then he posted it on his web site with the word "ENJOY”.
Brian May loves the Pentatonix version of Bohemian Rhapsody - he says that it is one of the best ever covers he's heard. The group is all the same members, with one exception. The bass, Avi in this video was replaced by Matt Sallee in 2017 when Avi left amicably for personal reasons. Matt is great too. All the others are the same as 11 years ago. Kirstie, mezzo soprano, Mitch dark hair high counter tenor, Scott, tall, blonde baritone and Kevin, their beatboxer, cello player and also high tenor voice. Scott and Mitch have been friends since they were 8 years old and the same with Mitch and Kirstie. They were friends growing up in Texas and they sang in high school together. Kevin and Avi joined in 2011 for the a cappella contest The Sing Off.
The Grassi Guitar does not require a megaphone. It is just a prop to draw attention to who is making the sound. I heard it done live and it was EPIC! Mitch might be the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury. Freddie died in November 1991 and Mitch was born in July 1992. He can also grow the Freddie mustache. It is so close to matching it is kinda creepy. This is the best rendition of that song outside of the original of course. Brian May posted this video to his socials when it came out telling his followers to 'Enjoy'
Glad you liked this. There's a few easter eggs in the video...first one...the couch is a nod to the formative years of this group. Many of their first videos were done with them all sitting on a couch singing. Second: The four shooting stars are a nod to the four members of Queen and to the fact that Dr Brian May is also an astrophysicist. Third: The pan down of them all sprawled on the couch is a nod to the record cover of Sheer Heart Attack. Mitch doesn't need the megaphone to re-create the guitar solo. It's just a prop. He's done the exact same solo live many times without it. Suggestions: Love Again ( original), Daft Punk, Imagine, 90's Dance Medley, Sound of Silence, Be My Eyes.
They worked on this song for 5 years I believe before they felt it was ready. Mitch did the guitar solo and does it live without the speaker. Other songs to react to are Sounds of Silence, Imagine, Amazing Grace, Can’t Hold Us, The Prayer, Daft Punk, almost any Christmas song, but I love Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and originals Coffee in Bed, Sing, Prayers to the World. Mitch, Kirstie, and Scott grew up together in Arlington, Texas and did high school musicals and had an acapella trio. In 2011, they tried out for the Sing Off and needed to add two members. So they added Avi, the bass, based on a recommendation and found Kevin, the beat boxer (and cellist) on RU-vid I think. Avi left the group in 2017 and they added Matt as the bass. They have won 3 Grammies and they just were awarded a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In Queens original there a guitar solo that Mitch reproduces with his vocal cords. The Megaphone is just a prop. It blows me away everytime I get Mitch slapped.
This was such an incredible version of this song! You need to check out their Grammy winning song Daft Punk medley that really showcases what they can do with their voices!
Keep the PTX coming!! They did a 90's Dance Medley that is good. Their Evolution of Michael Jackson is good. They won Grammy's for Daft Punk, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Jolene with Dolly Parton. Anything on their list is amazing!
Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. He is an astrophysicist. His PhD thesis a survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud" was published in 2007 and is a popular astronomy book of the same name. He started his research in 1970 and then stopped to run around the world in this rock band named Queen. Maybe you've heard of them maybe you haven't I had to Google them. That's sarcasm. The megaphone in a prop. Mitch does not use it in the live performances. the voice you hear when they're looking at the stars is the same voice Mitch uses with the megaphone . The shot at the sky is homage to Brian May. Brian May was so impressed with the video that he posted it on all of his social media sites. The part where Mitch is lying down on the couch and Kevin and Avi are walking beside it are to represent the pallbearers carrying Freddie's coffin . The shot at the end when they're looking up at the sky always puzzled me because there are four shooting stars and I always wondered about that because there are 5 members in PTX. I read in a comment that it's an homage to Queen because there are 4 members in Queen. At least that's how I interpret the shooting stars. The moving couch pays homage to how they started. They worked on this song for five or six years to get it where it is right now. This is a link to a live version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I think it was filmed off of somebody's phone. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C1PelJIxHTQ.html There should be a video of them doing Bohemian Rhapsody from September 29th at the Hollywood Bowl. Check out PTX official or tea time with Travis and it'll be on either one of those
The first two videos you reacted to have the same original lineup. Avi, the bass, left in 2017 and Matt came aboard at the end of 2017. That is the ONLY member change in their twelve years. Kirstin and Mitch change their looks so often, that reactors think they’re different people. If you have to ask if that’s Mitch or if that’s Kirstie, the answer is yes. Also, Kevin, the beatboxer, has gotten into weight lifting so he is now bulked up. You will be loved when you get the names down. They are: Scott - tall blonde baritone who sometimes sings the bass line. Mitch - dark haired countertenor. Unique high voice. Kirstin or Kirstie (rhymes with thirsty) - mezzo soprano with Disney quality voice and belting power. These first three knew each other as kids and sang together in high school as The Trio. Avi (AH-vee) - deep rich bass voice. He left in 2017 and has a great solo career now. Matt - bass since late 2017. Voice like warm butter and has a great stage presence. Kevin - Beatboxer/Tenor/Cellist. He’s a musical genius who makes great music on his own channel. He has played Carnegie Hall twice with Sax and Cello. He speaks Chinese and graduated premed from Yale. Recommend their Sound Of Silence. It’s a newer one with Matt.
I subscribed to you because I want to go along for the ride with you as you discover these amazing people. Buckle up good sir, it's going to be a hell of a ride.....lol
Bohemian..sound of silence...imagine....can you feel the love tonight...the 4 corners of their diverse images and ranges.... then you get to dive into their originals and other classics like amazing grace (one of my favs)..and their entire Christmas collections..enjoy...
Right at the beginning, Avi, the bass singer does the wind and the bass note simultaneously. First time I ever heard this, and the megaphone is just a prop, Mitch is making that sound with just his vocals.
I’m not sure what the first video of PTX was that you reacted to (because it’s been blocked) but I would suggest their Daft Punk medley (Grammy number 1) next, which features the same bass from this line-up (Avi Kaplan) and then the 90’s Dance Medley, which features their current bass, Matt Sallee (replaced Avi in 2017). That is the only line-up change in the band’s 12 year history. The three main lead singers (though every member is a strong enough singer to carry a lead, and they all have large ranges allowing them to cover other parts) are Scott Hoying (tall blond, baritone), Mitch Grassi (counter tenor, lead on this song), and Kirstin Maldonado (mezzo-soprano). They have been friends since childhood and sang together in choir and as The Trio in high school. As mentioned, original bass was Avi and is now Matt. The beat boxer is Kevin Olusola, who also has a lovely tenor voice and will sometimes play the cello while beatboxing (see their videos for Radioactive feat. Lindsey Stirling, Say Something, and Shallow as examples). Pentatonix has many many many covers (considered “upgrades” by the Pentaholics) plus some really great (and, unfortunately, overlooked) originals. The rabbit holes is deep, but worth it. Welcome! PS-their Christmas catalog is almost it’s own separate rabbit hole, so I only mentioned non-Christmas songs to start.
How many pentaholics wishes to see him react to, PTX ( Pentatonix ) " Daft Punk “s official music video ? This is going to blow him away ? Cant wait. From a new subscriber . I’ll be waiting with a smile.
Love your reaction 👍 PTX are amazing ! You should see and hear what they're able to do live in a concert, with 3 original songs and one medley. If you want to see these 15 minutes of pure art, go check Popspring Special 2016. The sound is amazing even if it's live and you'll see what is all about, all the talent they have 😍 Thanks 😘
I love watching reactions to PTX. When you first start the “journey” of their catalog it’s as if your ear can not believe there are no instruments, ONLY VOICE! This group has such a WIDE variety of songs, they can “cover” anything! Their vocal talent is beyond measure! I’ll enjoy returning to your channel to watch you react to more! My request for you (they have so many fantastic ones it’s hard to narrow it down) EVOLUTION OF MICHEAL JACKSON! It show cases each one of them so clearly and what each brings to the song. PTX is truly amazing!
You may notice some of us Falling in Reverse Fans showing up for Queen, or perhaps Eminem reactions. They were big influences on Ronnie Radke growing up, so many of us also liked them, even before every hearing of Falling in Reverse.
Great description - unique but familiar - of their covers! I’m envious that you have so much more to discover from them, and I can’t wait to watch you do it. Come Along is one of my favorite covers right now, and their original Anchor blows me away. I was skeptical about this Queen cover. I should have known better! Peace from Ohio …
Check out Mary did you know. First song I heard from them. I can't get enough. Amazing Grace, the prayer, shallow, say something... Can't wait to see them a second time in Cleveland Ohio!
If you watch a live performance of Bohemian Rhapsody you realize that Mitch Grassi is doing Brian May's guitar solo with his mouth and the megaphone is just a prop for the video.
I love your reactions! I would recommend Shallow for a similar vibe! My favorite - Amazing Grace! The one that totally changed my opinion on a song - I just called to say I love you. Keep them coming, they are all fabulous!
So glad that you enjoyed this one, they do an amazing job with it! From what I understand Pentatonix chose to use an old couch in the video as an homage to the "old days" before the group was famous or had any money. In the beginning they had no money for sets or props and recorded their first handful of videos from their different living rooms lol Home Free is my favorite a cappella group but Pentatonix is really good also and very talented for sure! Mad World is another great one that they do!
There is a Behind the Scenes (BTS) for this and many others. It was filmed from midnight to 6am on a floating couch on wheels. Kevin comments about maybe using helmets. You see a white line from the street as the couch moves. Others commented on the 4streaks paying homage to the original 4 Queen members. Brian May posted this to his own social media with one word: Enjoy!
Now that you have one foot down the PTX rabbit hole, know that there are two distinctly different periods in their performing lives - 1) with Avi Kaplan as bass, and 2) with Matt Sallee as bass. Avi is the guy with dark hair and beard (and stocking cap in Hallaluia). He left the group a few years ago to spend more time with his family and is pursuing a solo career. Really good songs to check out with Avi in the group are" 1) Daft Punk Medley (Grammy award). 2) Radioactive (with Lindsey Sterling), 3) Wizard of Aahhs (with Todrick Hall), 4) Imagine, 5) Say Something, 6) Mary Did You Know, 7) Run To You (Original). Matt's first appearance with PTX was in "Sound of Silence". Awesome! Other greats are: 1) When the Party's Over, 2) Come Along, 3) Havana, 4) Coffee in Bed, 5) Shallow, 6) Can You Feel the Love Tonight, 7) Thank You (Original by Scott), 8) Be My Eyes (Original by Kirstie), 9) The Prayer. There are literally a couple hundred more. They do Christmas songs really well - they have albums dedicated to Christmas. No matter what you decide to review, you will not be disappointed. Their "covers" are all "UPGRADES"! Welcome to becoming a Pentaholic!
I was thinking the same thing. He started with Home free - when he makes it to Voiceplay (came from the same season as home free) He will have made it to the trilogy of the newest generation of acapella! He may even link into Geoff talking about how much Tim helped him step into his growl. [And I think Geoff can now teach Tim some things about singing deep-DEEP base!] PTX is truly amazing and my first return to a capella from high school/college years but they were so smart about where they went when the record company that was supposedly going to release songs by the winners of the Sing Off that almost immediately dropped them - I know I am probably biased - These kids sang their hearts out, won America only to get dropped by the BIG record companies - may they never earn a dime from anything PTX does! But PTX turned to RU-vid with their covers and SuperFruit to get the following they deserved. I feel like Voiceplay had a step up when they came off the stage early from the signoff [I was SOO not ready for them to leave!] - but they already knew how to move forward. Home Free is just right there in the thick of things - great Bass and beat boxing and excellent solo abilities from every member of each of the three groups. Voiceplay did take a different approach than HF and PTX in that they started in the videos and spent their time making a lot of amazing music videos using their contacts and knowledge from their relationship with Disney and is shows in their amazing videos and awesome arrangements. Don't get me wrong -they all traveled. There are some fun videos of cross members and covers. He already found Avi playing with Tim and Crew in Ring of Fire - he still has to find Zombies vs Hillbillies in Survivors! Welcome to the rabbit hole!
It is awesome watching a new pentaholic being born! Subbed for more PTX - anything in their collection is amazing and you really can't go wrong with any of it. My favorites are 'Making Christmas', 'Imagine', 'Daft Punk', 'Love Again', 'Be My Eyes', 'Wizard of Ahhs' with Todrick Hall, and 'A Little Space' with Ateez
Since ur in the rabbit hole you gotta check out their beginning in the Sing-Off competition they won it tells you how they began and it will blow ur mind. Love your reactions so far. I'm new to ur site
Great review, you've got to hand it to them for respecting Queen. The part where they pan to the Stars is a tribute to Queen the four shooting stars are for the band members and for Brian May who got his degree in astrophysics. They nailed it!
Why not start with their Grammys? Daft Punk, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jolene. Then Love Again (original), Sound of Silence, 90s Dance Medley to start with. Oh, and Evolution of Michael Jackson (one take three times, best one gets it). They do a lot of Evolution vids. All the same way. As Brian May said about Bohemian Rhapsody... Enjoy!
Glad your enjoying them! The fans definitely can recommend you some of our favs. The group has won 3 grammys & nominated for 4, recently getting a star on the walk of fame! I highly recommend checking out their original music!
Pentatonix did not think they were ready for this particular song because at this point in their career they did low cost 1 take VIDIOS and this was 5yrs in the making and cos $ 400.00, they were mostly kids fresh out of of high school...the first 3 Scott, Kirsten, and Mitch were still in high school when they entered the singing competition and signed up Avi, and Kevin...don't remember the name of the competition but they won and 3 of the team where still in high school! How cool is that????
I don't remember seeing your reaction to their version of Imagine. It is awesome. Also, Homefree cover of Helplessly Hoping would be a good one for you.
👀I'd say Grammy award-winning Daft Punk video next. You won't believe there is nothing but voices and that it was recorded in the kitchen and a closet for $400. ✌❤😎
Listen to the PTX version of Daft Punk. It is a medley of Daft Punk songs that is blended perfectly. The video is amazing as well. Filmed in a closet and a kitchen with about $400 of props and some awesome computer editing, you would never know this wasn't a high budget professional arrangement. This song won PTX a grammy. BTW, I think you are becoming a "Pentaholic" (fan of Pentatonix). Welcome to the club!
You can't go wrong with Pentatonix. If you would like to hear some other top-tier vocal performances, do check these out: Postmodern Jukebox ft. Haley Reinhart "Creep", Gabriel Henrique "I Have Nothing", St Paul and the Broken Bones (Ourvinyl Sessions) "Grass is Greener", and Jonathan Young "Hellfire".
PTX performs this live in concerts. Interestingly, Queen never had oerformed it live in entirety. During the scaramouche section, the band members go off the stage and show the video only. Apparently, there were too many vocal layerings during recording to replicate it live in concerts
Apart from the bass, Avi Kaplan, who left in 2017 to be replaced by Matt Sallee, the lineup is unchanged. Avi has a successful solo career now as a singer songwriter - check out his 'Change on the Rise' as a start point. Staying with PTX though, your next reactions have to be 'Imagine' and their Daft Punk Medley, which won them their first Grammy.
I don't see a comment on the megaphone that you are calling a loud speaker. It was just a prop so you would know who was singing. There are live videos of this song where you can see Mitch sing his guitar solos without the megaphone. It is amazing what comes out of their mouths! Daft Punk, Daft Punk live and Can't hold us should be the next ones you review.
booboolu for sure the best cover from them that I have never heard anyone do better. keep them coming booboolu and let us all PTX lovers know how u feel about them.
Sad to say I love to sing and can harmonize with the best of them but I am not great but love to sing even wrote a song for our first responders after 9/11, but way..... along time before that ...I was 9-10 years old as mom was really sick with her asthma so at 9 I took over the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for the house...but never mind that I made up my own medley, to get me though each task. They were country music songs, as that was what mom and dad listened to mostly...then if a particular task took a bit longer, I would add full songs, you know how you do....!?
All of the members are the same except Avi Kaplan left the group and they got Matt to replace him. Kirsten does change her hair style and color which makes people think she was replaced but it's still her.
I wonder when he discovers the VoicePlay * patiently waiting in the corner for "this is halloween" * As for the guys, they are great, tho i'm not a fan. But personally i prefer Matt Mulholland's cover of the song. It compliments the original well, imo. Musical comedy and pathos in action. So, that's not what i wanted to say in the first place. I want to thank you for posting your reactions. This kind of videos, whithout hiperbolized mimic and reactions i want to see. Just pure response to what you see and hear. It's a pleasure. Thank you.
There is a video of the making of this video, i will leave the link if your interested.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q8ugJnIG_Lk.html
Классная реакция, мне понравилась. Но делать голосом музыкальные инструменты - это не новшество посмотри вот этих парней ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G7a-Q-ZeVxA.html&ab_channel=%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%94%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2
Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. He is an astrophysicist. His PhD thesis a survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud" was published in 2007 and is a popular astronomy book of the same name. He started his research in 1970 and then stopped to run around the world in this rock band named Queen. Maybe you've heard of them maybe you haven't I had to Google them. That's sarcasm. The megaphone in a prop. Mitch does not use it in the live performances. the voice you hear when they're looking at the stars is the same voice Mitch uses with the megaphone . The shot at the sky is homage to Brian May. Brian May was so impressed with the video that he posted it on all of his social media sites. The part where Mitch is lying down on the couch and Kevin and Avi are walking beside it are to represent the pallbearers carrying Freddie's coffin . The shot at the end when they're looking up at the sky always puzzled me because there are four shooting stars and I always wondered about that because there are 5 members in PTX. I read in a comment that it's an homage to Queen because there are 4 members in Queen. At least that's how I interpret the shooting stars. Rhapsody , please double check your pronunciation, refers to a song in several movements usually of an emotional nature and that is exactly what Bohemian Rhapsody is . Part of the reason it is the all-time best rock and roll song is there is not anything that is repeated in the song . That and it was conceived by the greatest rock and roll mind of all time Imo . The moving couch pays homage to how they started. They worked on this song for five or six years to get it where it is right now. This is a link to a live version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I think it was filmed off of somebody's phone. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C1PelJIxHTQ.html There should be a video of them doing Bohemian Rhapsody from September 29th at the Hollywood Bowl. Check out PTX official or tea time with Travis and it'll be on either one of those
