Great music for a great cause

The kids and I are huge fans of the NBC show The Sing Off. I was introduced to a cappella music in college and it is just love what people can do with their voices. The first two seasons were November/December fillers, but last year, NBC ran the show from September through December. I’m not a huge fan of reality shows that thrive on cutting comments or putting contestants down, but the vibe on this show is different.  There’s a real sense of camaraderie and even irreverence.  The Judges still babble on at times, but that’s what my Tivo remote is for.

I was thrilled to hear that some of the top ten contestants would be performing in Boston at A Cappella Pallooza, a fundraiser for the Mass General Hospital Cancer Center.  The kids were over the moon. The downside was the perfomance was on a the last night of April Vacation. But, you know, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, so I bought tickets for the three of us (A-man does not share our passion). It would be Mim’s first concert.

I think the organizers weren’t certain how the show would do, so they only utilized half of the Agganis Arena at Boston University. Much to my delight (and theirs I’m sure), the concert sold out all 4,000 available seats! The show was amazing! It featured B.U.’s own Dear Abby’s as well as a surprise visit from the Tufts Beelzebubs Sing Off Season Two Runner ups. North Shore, Delilah, and The Dartmouth Aires were all fan favorites of The Sing Off Season Three and Pentatonix was the winner. The performances were amazing.  North Shore was on their home turf and the crowd responded. Delilah is actually a compilation of female singers from groups who performed on season one and season two.  I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs on TV, but live they are badass female rockers.  The Dartmouth Aires are just overwhelming, in a good way.  Their choreography is tight, and their arrangements are amazing. They always have the audience eating out of their hands.

Pentatonix is in the process putting together an EP and have been touring ever since the Sing Off wrapped.  Their interpretations of popular songs are incredibly innovative and their performances are energetic. I really hope some talented songwriter will write songs specifically for them.  I think they could be the a cappella group that breaks the barrier and charts an original song. Bobby McFerrin did it with the help of some machines, but I think these five could do it with just their voices.

According to the event organizers, they raised over $200,000 for the Mass General Cancer center.  Scott Griffith, CEO of ZipCar and leader of the event organizing team asked the audience if this should be an annual event.  The result was an overwhelming yes.  I really hope he follows through with that idea. It was a late night but a memorable one for all of us and yes, we’d do it again.

Here are some of my favorite performances from Sing Off Groups.

Born to Run – The Men of the Sing Off Season Three

Video Killed the Radio Star – Pentatonix

Someone That I Used to Know – Pentatonix