There's a reason this one has nearly 700Million views. However, their cover of Amazing Grace is even better. IMHO. And as a couple of others have said, their second grammy win, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (a song w/o words).
Don't be put off by "Christmas" songs..I can listen to any of their arrangements of Christmas music all year long! Check out Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, another Grammy winner..outstanding! Enjoying your reactions!
I have just one word for this recording: apotheosis. Few things give me more delight than watching a reactor who GETS IT be shocked and floored by this arrangement, delivered by these angels. Thank you!!!
Agreed. The boy has got chops! "Ring of Fire" is just a bit of fun a surprise, but "Change is on the Rise" makes you ready for war. Both are worth the listen!
You should totally watch the live rendition of this from their 2016 Christmas Special. It shows how amazing they are live! And you can see how they can replicate it almost exactly live. Another live song you should check out is Seasons of Love from the 4th of July special on PBS that was on last weekend. Kirstie has an AMAZING part in it that will blow you away! Also, we Pentaholics appreciate PTX Xmas music ANY time of year. Besides it's July...Christmas in July is a thing. ;) One of their songs that you'd love is their version of Come All Ye Faithful.
Sometimes the stars align and everything falls into place and straight up magic happens. PTX does that every time, but even for them this is a masterpiece.
Yes! Kevin is Fire! And his Kover Down is insane! And I haven’t seen u do a song where Kevin has a solo singing part yet. So u need to hear his voice as well.
Welcome to the PTX "Wall of Sound". I loved your face when you heard it. Scott is covering the bass while Avi solos. Look at how many views this video has.
INTERESTING NOTE: I just this week heard Scott talking about how PTX has a 10 year plan in place for the future. He did not give a lot of details except it involved a lot of touring. So, I guess they plan on keeping any solo work secondary to Pentatonix as a whole.
Hi James from Darwin Australia.... I heard in an interview that they have an agreement with each other that they can go do their solo gigs BUT Pentatonix comes first
They all have side projects you should checkout. Scott - I Should Tell Ya Momma On You, Wake Me Up Mitch - The Graveyard, Your Power, and as Messer: Machine Superfruit - The Promise Kirstie - Break A Little, Naked, Somewhere Over The Rainbow Kevin (KO) - Down, True Colors, Sign Of The Times, and Renagades Matt - Life Is A Highway (Live at Burklee Night LA) Avi - Change On The Rise, Aberdeen, Otherside, I'll Get By, Hey Ya, Get Down (Audio), Lean On Me (Audio), The Summit (Audio), and more.
in case you were wondering - Scott is doing the bass when Avi is singing the lead. He has a huge vocal range and sings everything from bass to baritone to tenor
*Absolutely, positively, definitely* react to Avi's solo work. "Change on the Rise", "I'll Get By", "Quarter Past Four" and his cover of "Hey Ya" are good places to start. He has lots of songs that are audio only, but *please* don't let that stop you from reacting to them. The first 2 songs I mentioned are under the name Avi Kaplan, the last 2 are under the name Avriel and the Sequoias.
When he said "even if I react to him off camera" I was like NOOOOoooOOOOOoooOOOO!!!! I wanna see the reactions! I'd like to add Full Moon (official audio) to the above list. :)
@@tasia2174 I agree about the studio version of "Full Moon". While the acoustic, alt versions are excellent, the drama and fullness of the official one is exquisite, with the orchestration added.
@@Jsman525 Who could? I'm hoping the new song he did in the Mandolin livestream back in April - "First Place I Go" - is the first one he releases from the new album. I'm very interested to see how he produces it.
Check out Mitch's cover of Billie Eilish's Your Power... Extremely powerful... Kept one woman from killing herself. And Mitch did EVERYTHING except film it (a friend handled that)
Most people are here for PTX together *or* separately. In fact, not enough reactors do their side projects. Personally, I'm a Mitch girl, though I also love Kevin's looping work. There are more Mitch solos than most people realize, especially if you count those without videos, but Superfruit (his and Scott's now-defunct comedy vlog turned duo) is something I *adore* reactions to. We're so lucky that the entire group decided that side-projects were great so long as the group came first... because, yeah, they all have their own interests and are amazing on their own as well.
I second the "Change on the Rise" recommendation for sure. Technically, it's wasn't his first solo piece. The "Avriel & The Sequoias" EP, recorded and released before he left PTX in September 2017, is solo, with the exception of "Hey Ya!" and "Sweet Adeline", which was done with his 3 friends. But "Change" was the first solo original he released after the year he had to take off per the separation agreement. And a new album is imminent. He's teasing it.
Scott & Mitch had a side project called "Superfruit" and put out an album ("Future Friends") of great stuff. You should react some of their songs. My favorite is "Bad For Us"
Even with all the other songs they've done that I loved for the past ten years I still think this is the best thing that ever came out of their mouths. Mitch looks different every time you see him. He's not really human, you see. He's from the old people that live in the hollow hills. Just listen to him sing "Your Power" and you'll agree. If that doesn't sound like the faerie folk I don't know what does.
I can watch this video repeatedly, (its really not considered a Christmas song) Great reaction. I agree this is one of their best. Next watch Amazing Grace.
I have no idea how many times I have now listened to this video. Every time I hear something or see something new. The artistry is simply amazing. I don't remember how many times I'd watched when I first noticed the sun setting on those last notes. Nothing is taken for granted. I would agree with some of the other comments that their Amazing Grace is just as powerful. Some of their songs I'm not keen on on the first listen, but they grow to be favorites over time. (How many favorites can you have?) Pentatonix keeps growing on you. It's an addiction. Probably why we're called Pentaholics.
0:17 - "Guys! I know it's not Christmas..." - It's ok, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is by no means a Christmas song. :):):) And some of PTX's best work are Christmas songs anyway. So, either way, you (and we) win!
you should react to their cover of Imagine, its incredible. there is a live version of them performing Hallelujah and they sound just like they do in this video
Definitely check out Imagine you'll love it. And then watch then do Amazing Grace. You'll never go wrong with a Pentatonix song. And if you really want to see Mitch really going off react to Aha Live in Singapore at the Star Vista. Another fun Christmas song is Making Christmas from A Nightmare Before Christmas
Definitely check out Avi’s solo work! I usually recommend Quarter Past Four and Change on the Rise. Don’t know if you’ve ever listened to any of Home Free (another fire acapella group with a killer beat boxer and DEEP bass of their own) but Avi does a cover of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire with them that will blow your mind all the way up.
I'm certain that others further down in the comments have touched on this, but in case they haven't... When Avi is singing his lead, Scott is covering the bassline. And PTX does their version of Amazing Grace that rivals this! Also you really must check out some of Avi's solo work. One of my favorites is Change On The Rise! So powerful! Great reactions! ❤
Definitely one of the best pieces of music I have ever heard. This was among the first PTX vids I saw and I was hooked. This is how Pentaholics are made!
I only have hearing in one ear and I’ve listened to every reaction that I can find. This is the first one where I can hear Avi loud and clear. Holy moly!Also I hear Kevin now. This is as close to being able to hear in stereo ever in my life😲
Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is not, repeat NOT, a Christmas song. It is not, repeat NOT, a religious song at all. It simply borrows a religious word. This song IS about love, loss, regret, power struggles, intimacy, and yes, sex. Cohen wrote more than 40 verses to this song and not one of them extoled the virtues of religion. You're in good company...most people do not understand the song. Example: The lyric, "...but all I ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya." He is saying that all love ever taught him was how to shoot down the dreams of someone when they say "I love you" first. Anyway...sorry for mini-rant here! :) Be well.
Honestly, at this point, I don’t even bother any more. It’s exhausting with all the folk coming in, arguing about how it is! It doesn’t help that PTX put it on a Xmas album though, and most people don’t really listen to the lyrics, just the Hallelujah” and presume it’s religious. Good work though! I hope you don’t have to defend it too much x
This is the song that first introduced me to Pentatonix, and I was instantly hooked! But it should be noted that Hallelujah is NOT a Christmas song, nor is it a religious song in any way. Songwriter Leonard Cohen was a Jewish-born atheist who wrote this song about lost love, lust, sex, loneliness and isolation using intentionally mixed Biblical references and metaphors to tell the story. Some musical analysts have referred to it as Cohen actually ARGUING with God instead of worshipping God. In the years after Cohen first wrote the song, more than 80 additional verses were written, both by Cohen AND other songwriters, some with Christmas and Christian lyrics. Pentatonix planned to record one of the versions using the Christmas lyrics for their 2016 Christmas album. When they contacted Cohen's publishers to get permission, they were told that at the time Cohen would only allow artists to record the song if they used his original lyrics. They agreed to do so and put the song on the Christmas album anyway. Yes, you should definitely react to Avi's solo music. It is nothing short of magnificent!
Hallelujah is NOT a Christmas song.... it's a great song but not specifically a Christmas one....these 5 singers are great, Mitch is special, what a voice 😍
"Hallelujah" is not a Christmas song. PTX put it on a Christmas album, but they always throw at least one song on their Christmas albums that isn't seasonal. "Hallelujah" was written by Canadian poet, singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen. Cohen (who is Jewish) is known as an "edgy" artist, often dealing with provocative subject matter. In this song, he uses biblical metaphors such as the stories of Samson and Delilah (cut your hair) and David and Bathsheba (bathing on the roof) to support the typically spiritual cry of "hallelujah!", but the subject of the lyrics, if you listen to them, is a lament on the pain and disappointment of human relationships. We seek love and fulfillment in our partners, but that bliss is elusive, and we are left feeling desolate and empty, like the vast desert landscape in the video. This song is a vocal and visual masterpiece, and does full credit to Cohen's artistry.
Late to the party, but I’ve been a fan of your Key & Peele reactions for awhile now. And now that I’ve discovered that you’ve also been riding the PTX train, I’ve Subscribed. Looking forward to your past (and possibly future) reactions on them.
I saw a comment once elsewhere on this performance where they pointed out that while Avi solos, Scot takes over the bass line. I never realized it until then so went back to listen again and wow. Scott's range is incredible from bass here to the very high notes at the end of the Prayer. Amazing!
Whenever Avi or Matt are singing lead Scott takes on and kills the challenge of singing the bass :) saw them in concert a few years ago; definitely worth it
It never ceases to amaze me to see this song listed as a Christmas song. It is not a Christmas song by any definition. But if you want to really be impressed by one of their actual Christmas songs, you should listen to "Mary did you know"