The Sing-Off Live Tour, featuring three a cappella bands from the hit show “The Sing-Off”, came to the Fillmore March 5.
The groups included L.A. based boy band The Filharmonic, VoicePlay, and season four winners Home Free. Local group Traces of Blue, who performed on the show in season three, also made an appearance.
The show began with a group number to Fun.’s “Some Nights”, allowing the groups to harmonize together while also showcasing their individuality. All the performers were decked out in “Sing-Off” letterman jackets with their corresponding band name on the back side.
The first group to perform individually was The Filharmonic, starting with their rendition of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”. Unique in their style, The Filharmoic incorporated dance into their performance, something that no other group on the tour or the show was able to do as effortlessly.
Traces of Blue, a group from Howard University, followed the Filharmonic. They performed their original song “I Feel Good”, as well as a mash up of both older and newer tunes.
Next to sing was VoicePlay, a five-man ensemble from Orlando, performing with the accompaniment of Honey Larochelle. Known for their audience engagement, VoicePlay acted out a skit that had the whole audience laughing, using their a cappella talent to create amazing, realistic sound effects. VoicePlay’s setlist ranged from Queen to Lady Gaga, each song having its own playful twist.
The Filharmonic and VoicePlay then engaged in an ‘Ultimate Sing-Off’, where two groups compete to out-sing each other. This particular ‘Ultimate Sing-Off’ ended in a beatboxing battle. In a cappella, beatboxing is generally used as a replacement for drums and other instruments that provide rhythm.
“My favorite part of the concert was the beatboxing battle,” senior Will Gallagher said. “I am a drummer and beatboxer myself, and I definitely think the drums are the most important part in moving the song forward and keeping the beat.”
Last to perform was country group Home Free from Minneapolis, opening with its version of Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise”. However, they proved they were not restricted to country music by incorporating several pop songs into their playlist.
The Filharmonic, VoicePlay, and HomeFree came together one final time to perform Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music”, then a quieter, compassionate rendition of “Hallelujah”.
The concert attracted fans from a broad age spectrum, but it was suitable for all. Lights on the stage and throughout building matched with the songs tone or beat, adding another dimension to the performance.
The venue was full of people, but there was still plenty of room for dancing and moving as needed. The intimacy of the Fillmore led to a more entertaining and captivating concert experience.
“The Fillmore is small so it allowed the groups to connect personal with the audience and sort of have a discussion with them, so that was pretty chill how close-knit it was,” Gallagher said.
