It is hard to quiet down a packed baseball stadium but Pentatonix managed to do exactly that with their performance of the national anthem at the Savannah Bananas’ first-ever Banana Bowl.
The Savannah Bananas were hosting the first ever Banana Bowl and the whole crowd was waiting. Then this three time Grammy winning group stepped up to the microphones. Without any instruments, these talented members of the renowned a cappella group lifted their vocals and filled the stadium with a wave of patriotism.
Pentatonix is a vocal group originally out of Texas that basically changed how people view a cappella. Members Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee built a massive fanbase using just their raw natural voices. They got their big break winning the TV singing competition The Sing-Off in 2011 and went on to rack up billions of views online. They became incredibly popular for their covers of modern pop hits and holiday classics. Their Christmas specials and viral music videos are famous because they layer complex harmonies and heavy beatboxing without a real instrument.
Singing the national anthem is notoriously difficult because the melody jumps across such a wide vocal range. Most solo artists end up straining on the highest and lowest notes or getting lost in the timing. But Pentatonix flawlessly rendered the song by splitting those complex parts across their five distinct voices. The tight harmonies blended beautifully and touched hearts across the stadium.
Right at the climax of the song an F-35 Lightning II flyover roared across the sky. The timing was perfect and the stadium erupted in cheers.
WATCH: Jaw-Dropping Performance of National Anthem by Pentatonix
JOIN THE CONVERSATION