I hope you enjoyed the content! If there is something you want to watch me react to, please leave it in the comments below! Outro: Rustage - Outside the Airlock - • Outside the Airlock
The audio panning on "little high, little low" is a direct quote from Queen. If you listen to Queen's original you'll hear the same panning on the same phrase. Pentatonix loves Queen, and they love "Bohemian Rhapsody," so they always wanted to cover this song, but they feared that they couldn't do it justice, so they decided to wait until they were sure they were ready. That took them five years, but it was worth the wait - they were definitely ready. In the early days of Pentatonix, after Epic reneged on the recording contract Pentatonix had "won" on _The Sing-Off,_ Pentatonix started posting to RU-vid; it was the only way they COULD publish their music. A lot of those early RU-vid videos show the five of them sitting on a couch, with the trio on the back of the couch and Avi and Kevin on the seat in front of them, just five very young people singing their hearts out, making their dream come true. Note that this is the configuration we see them in at the beginning and end of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is one reason the couch needs to move - it's taking Pentatonix (and us) on a trip down Memory Lane. The more important reason the couch moves is that it's standing in for the car in _Wayne's World,_ where Wayne and Garth introduced a whole new generation to the genius of Queen by putting a tape of "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the car's tape player. The couch was motorized, and not very well balanced. (Note that when they're sitting on it their feet don't quite reach the ground. The little curtain thing on the bottom was added to hide the motor.) It kept trying to tip over during the filming and actually managed to throw Kevin off at one point. There was a small platform attached to the back so that Kirstie could climb on the couch from behind - Scott, being a foot taller than Kirstie, didn't need it. Many people think the megaphone is distorting Mitch's voice to make him sound more like an electric guitar, but it actually has nothing to do with it. The megaphone wasn't turned on, and couldn't have distorted Mitch's voice even if it had been - it was just a megaphone. The electric guitar is all Mitch. Mitch happened to see the megaphone lying around on the set and thought it would make a cool prop, so it's been confusing people ever since. During the "Bismillah" argument, note that Scott, whose range includes both bass and tenor registers, is actually singing along with both the high and low sides of the argument. Scott has said that this rapid switching is the hardest part of the song for him. When the camera pans up to show us the starry night sky during Mitch's second guitar solo, it's meant as a tribute to Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics. The four shooting stars honor the four members of Queen. When the camera pans back down to show Pentatonix lying on the couch together it's meant to recall the cover art for Queen's "Sheer Heart Attack" album. Kevin and Mitch are both singing that last "Any way the wind blows." Note that this completes it; EVERY member of Pentatonix had an opportunity to play Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody," yet another dream come true. And when this official video was first released, Brian May posted a link to it on all his social media accounts with the comment: "Enjoy."
These guys are just flippin amazing alien unicorns! It took them 5 years to feel ready to do this song and to do it the justice that it deserves. They are all massive Queen fans. Brian May, lead guitarist from Queen, heard this song when it came out and posted a link to his socials with the one word comment 'Enjoy!' I feel like that is giving Queen's Seal of Approval right there! They also inserted a lot of references and easter eggs into this video in tribute to the original video - which by the way, if you haven't seen - you should probably check it out! Queen couldn't perform this song live because of all the layering they did in post! And not only can Pentatonix do this Live, but the Mitch Grassi Guitar has no need for a Megaphone. Mitch just saw it lying around the set and decided to use it to draw attention to who was doing the guitar solo part - the megaphone was not on, Mitch can do this live! The couch is in reference to their beginning videos where they recorded themselves on various of theirs couches to post onto RU-vid after they were dropped by Sony because they didn't think that Acapella would be popular enough to sell records. It is also a tip of the hat to Wayne's World movie scene with the car and head banging to this song which brought in a whole new generation to Queen's music! The part where Mitch is laying on the couch is in reference to Freddie's death and the members walking alongside are his coffin's Pallbearers. A lot of the visuals in here are in tribute to the original video's trippy graphics; like when they all line up and do the 'oh, oh, oh's' one after the other, and also when they line up behind Kirstie standing on the couch only to fan out behind her with their vocal parts. The shot of the sky is in tribute to Dr. Brian May who is Queen's lead guitarist and also an astrophysicist! Each shooting star represents a member of Queen. When they all collapse onto the couch with the shot from above is a homage to the cover art of Queen's record 'Sheer Heart Attack' Also I am pretty sure, Mitch is a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury - one...he can grow the Freddie Stash and looks so much like Freddie that it is kinda creepy - two...he can sing just as high if not higher than Freddie could - and three...Freddie died 8 months before Mitch was born!
I got to see them perform this live on Tuesday night! I knew it was going to happen and I knew it was going to be awesome, my husband didn’t know it was going to happen and it was so much fun to watch his face light up, we were incredibly lucky to have basically front row seats and it was absolutely surreal! Now my husband is planning on buying tickets to their Christmas tour as well. I hope you react to their cover of Imagine and then do the PopSpring 2016 love video with 3 originals and an amazing Michael Jackson medley that is absolutely unreal!
Check out their live performances. They are just as good if not better than the original. So no, they do not have to turn it down a notch for their videos or in the studio. I think you'll be impressed with what they do live. The level of difficulty in PROBLEM live when Mitch raps is crazy and AHA Singapore is an outstanding performance showcasing Avi bass and Mitch's voice. Have fun on your Pentatonix journey. Most talented Acapella group I've ever heard. Home Free is great as well, just different
My wife bought tickets for Saturday night at the Puyallup Fair 9/16/23. I remember them being on some singing contests on tv over the years. She loves them. Not a huge a cappella fan. Can only take so much of it. We’ll see tho 🤷🏻♂️
I was at the same concert - Ridgefield, right? It was SUCH a great concert/performance. We were close enough to the stage that we could "see them sweat" (it was HOT!) - it was fun to be able to see their expressions and get SO caught up in the performance.
Great reaction 👏. A true tribute to Queen. When they pan to the stars the four shooting stars are for the band members of Queen and for Brian May who got his degree in astrophysics. And Brian May loved this rendition. I love the fact that PTX always pays tribute to anyone's songs they do. An amazing group!
PTX 🔥🤘 There’s a behind the scenes making of video for this: yes they were outside and yes, it was cold. They whole video concept is an paying homage to Queen AND Pentatonix’s journey, I’m sure others will explain it better than I can but, lots of iconic Queen and PTX references 🤘
Thanks for the reaction. I always think Kevin’s beatboxing drums in this song are freaking amazing. There so many songs to recommend, Imagine is a favorite. Of their original music “Sing”, “Anchor” or “A Little Space” featuring Ateez. Your nail polish reminds me of a color Mitch wore for a while.
Unless it's a video where they're all sitting together singing, assume that the official video is lip-synched to the studio recording. (And yes, they sometimes do some layering in the studio recordings.) But the way Pentatonix lip-synchs is to actually sing the song. This keeps them properly in time and it ensures that all their movements are genuine. I think you can safely assume that they lip-synch at full volume. That said, one of the ways Pentatonix protects their voices is to let the microphones do a lot of the work, so "full volume" may not be as loud as you'd expect.
I love your reactions! I recommend Popspring 2016, Sound of Silence, Can’t Hold Us, 90’s Dance Medley and Love Again (early original) for a variety of genres. I just saw them in concert a few days ago and Bohemian Rhapsody was their encore. It sounded the same as the official video. Mitch even sounded more like an electric guitar in person than he did in this video with the megaphone prop. If you want outstanding live versions, check out anything from the Hollywood Bowl 2022 posted by Miles Reuben.
There's a bts video of the making of this. It's absolutely hilarious (Kevin tripping over the couch, having to put a step on the couch so Kirstie could climb up onto it), definitely recommend it.
yknow if youre interested in their more unique-to-them songs, id suggest their "evolution of" series!! (personally my absolute favorite is Evolution of Rhianna)
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”.
😂. Yes. A motorized couch on a road.Apparently dangerous and remote controlled. One time you can see a little off kilter when Avi tries to sit down on the lower right of the couch that it is not square and moving a little. 😂. Great reaction. If you look on some closeups you can see their breaths as the air is cold. There is a video on the making of this video. You don’t have to filter this dark. A filter and stopping frequently as well as the disclaimers about the intended use work for most people. ( I don’t care if that dark but some might) So many songs. All of them excellent. You might like Can’t Hold Us.
"Am I explaining this properly?" No! But we hear it. This video was made in Portland, Oregon outside through an entire night. It was freezing cold. Mitch named the motorized couch "The killer couch" because every time they tried to mount it, it would fall over backwards. They never mastered this couch mounting technique and in every mounting shot it cuts in the middle after they start mounting and then shows them completely on the couch. Every one of the hundreds of videos they've done on RU-vid sounds pretty much the same live. Freddie Mercury had 3 completely different songs he wrote that he combined into Bohemian Rhapsody.
So many possibilities with PTX you can’t go wrong with any of them. But, personally, I would encourage you to watch “Gold”, “Mad World”, “AHA” - Singapore Star Vista, “Say Something”, “The Prayer”.
I totally agree with you, @7:20, when you make the “ weird “ it is memorable! I would like to suggest that you listen to “ Paradise by the Dashboard Light “ by Meatloaf! RIP He is from the late 70’s and captured every teenager with this song, and his music! The dance floor was packed with this song! Stay safe, stay sane, stay strong
Love the 'strategic pauses'! You may not be able to explain yourself well, but you get the point across and I think we all understand what you mean. If you haven't reacted to their cover of 'Kiss From a Rose", please do!
I don't know if you'll read this but you mentioned the unique & random changes in this song make it stand out. I don't know if you've ever heard "Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel but that song goes all over the place & somehow makes sense while not making sense. Lol. If you haven't, you should definitely check it out.
You should check out their video of the Recording of Evergreen (A Christmas Album) so you can see the energy, time and power they put into the recordings. Have fun!
I love love love your reactions! They're so entertaining and charming! ^_^ I am definitely hoping to see more Pentatonix reactions. Might I recommend their version of the Sound of Silence? You've never heard it like this before, I guarantee. I'd love to see you check out some of their contemporaries like Home Free, Voiceplay and Voctave as well.
I love this version of the song but I will never forget watching Queen do this live. If you'd like to know what can be done with a whole lot of creativity and an almost non existent budget ($400) check out the Daft Punk medley. It's an early PTX production that was created with one audio recording, (not a studio) and $400 bucks for makeup, costumes and a backdrop to cover the kitchen cabinets. They didn't have much more than talent and creativity in this piece but it got them noticed by the music industry and gave them their first real break.
I hope you were prepared for this one. I swear Mitch is Freddie reincarnated. We don't mind the pausing. Most of us have seen this over a million times. Yes each persons part is simplified but all together it creates the whole. Did you love Mitch's megaphone guitar ?!?! And Kevin's beatboxing was on point, EPIC!!!!! Did you catch all the homages to Queen throughout the video ?? Like the starry sky and the four shooting stars for the four members of Queen. The blue flashlight scene from the original Queen video. The moving couch is reference to the way PTX started and their continuing forward journey. Brian May was truly impressed. PTX always does something to pay homage to the original artist on all their covers. Check out some of their original stuff. Also another group you should really check out is Home Free, another top notch a cappella group, if not the second to PTX , who won The Sing Off season right after PTX's season. Five guys and their beatboxer is a world champion who can replicate ANY sound you want, even a harmonica, a jaw harp, a complete drum kit, a record scratch... literally ANYTHING!! You MUST check it out.
regarding the sweaters - this was filmed late at night on a street (you can see the couch moving down the street)...Kirstie has said it was freezing that night
Never worry about pausing. You always have something interesting to say and we appreciate that. One of my favorites is Gold. I recommend you listen to the original by Kiara to truly appreciate PTX's skill level.,
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. You can see Mitch with the Freddie mustache doing Somebody to Love on a Queen special that was on ABC a few years ago.
This is still baby Pentatonix. They didn't have much in the way of funds in the beginning. (long story) so they did stuff on the couch in Kevin and Avi's apartment or just standing around. As for the set, I think of it as a doctor's waiting room. (just my weirdness.) I think they do it 100% even when they are using tracks.
Yes, it's just as easy to say Pentatonix as PTX, but it's easier to type PTX. Useful for searches. Actually, I think they were in a parking lot, but yes, they were definitely outside, on asphalt.
It would be much easier to give you Pentatonix recommendations if I knew what you've already seen of theirs. How about putting them in their own playlist?
Yeah, Pentatonix often needs more pausing or filters or something; reactor vids for them get hit with denials a ~lot~ it kinda sucks. on the other hand, Pentaholics that watch reactors are ~very well aware of this~, and we will not fault you for pausing! FYI, they do have a ton of stuff in general, but I feel like nearly half of their stuff is Christmas music. Which is good! we all love it! but if you keep going down the Pentatonix rabbit hole you will end up watching a LOT of Christmas videos. And they do occasionally have instruments, but when they do they don't hide it; it will be in the video. Most common is Kevin playing his cello; rarely Scott will be on the piano. as for recommendations... I always have difficulty narrowing, so feel free to just skip over this list if you like; but here you go. for covers (Pentaholics often call them upgrades instead of covers): Blinding Lights; Cheerleader; New Rules x Are You That Somebody (this is one of the first tracks/videos with "new" bass, Matt); Attention; Can't Help Falling In Love; Can't Hold Us; La La Latch; I just Called to Say I Love You; Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone); Butter x Dynamite; Over the River (with Lindsey Stirling); 90s Dance Medley; Waving Through a Window; Come Along; The Sound of Silence; ~any~ of the Evolution Of videos; Radioactive (with Lindsey Stirling); Save the World/Don't You Worry Child for foreign language (not always all foreign, but significant amounts): Midnight in Tokyo ft Little Glee Monster; The Prayer; Papaoutai (with Lindsey Stirling); Perfume Medley; Gangnum Style; for originals: Sing; Light in the Hallway; New Year's Day; Water; Love Again; Run To You; Show You How To Love; Thank You; Happy Now, Love Me When I Don't; Never Gonna Cry Again for Christmas: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Oh Come All Ye Faithful; Making Christmas; Kid on Christmas (with Meghan Trainor); White Winter Hymnal; That's Christmas to Me; Mary Did You Know; Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy; 12 Days of Christmas; My Favorite Things
That Bass, is the great Avi Kaplan. Avi is a classically/operatically trained Basso Profundo Avi has a 5+ octave range and is an overtone singer. No body does it better than Avi. He left the group in 2017 after 6 years of being with the original group.
Another fantastic reaction! Do watch the behind the scenes video for this performance. A lot of their earlier music were one takes or they picked the best of their takes. This is especially true in their “Evolution” series (Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Rhianna, etc. Please react to THE EVOLUTION OF MICHAEL JACKSON. You will enjoy it a lot. 💕
Here's the behind-the-scenes video put together by the production company that shot the music video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q8ugJnIG_Lk.html
Love your joyous reactions! I see others have recommended the "AHA Singapore" video, which contains 3 of their originals, plus the Evolution of Michael Jackson in song. I would recommend "Can't Hold Us", a cover of a Macklemore/Lewis song...they are just crazy on that one! Plus, they have a video called "Sing" (also an original song) which includes a lot of their fans in tribute. So many to do...and you can't go wrong with whatever you choose!
@@vickiandrews4087 I hate to be someone who corrects others, but I don’t think he is ready for Aha. If he reads the comments, I wanted him to know to experience other videos before he listens to Aha so that he can truly appreciate its magnificence 😊. Although, if you said other people already recommended it, I guess I should read the comments before I comment! 💜
@@kristipierce4735 As you've seen in my comments, I really meant the Popspring performance. It's a good intro to their original songs. AHA is pretty fire, too! My fave early original is "Sing" Great early PTX!
yeah, repatition can create a ballad as long as you know when to stop. I hate songs where they repeat the same words over and over and over to the same beat. That's one of the reasons I love PTX they alter things enough to make it interesting while still paying homage to the song... their version is always 2.0
You were saying that you got the fact that they were outside, so I would suggest you rewatch it to notice their breath in the cold air. BTW, Pentatonix do not do covers, they enhance or upgrade them.
The "weirdness" you speak of is typical of the emotional, improvisational-seeming style of a rhapsody. From Mer-Web: *Rhapsody:* 4: a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character
"Mama, just killed a man" and your response was "Yes, she did". Uh, NO,SHE DIDN'T! The one who committed the crime was Mama's son, or Mitch here, by way of Freddie. Don't go claiming to know the song if you can't get something that simple right.