Photographs by Dawn Hamilton.
What makes Fifth Harmony as phenomenal live as they are is the factor of how much talent each and every one of them possesses. All five of the girls have amazing voices, and are additionally talented dancers. While watching them perform it is so easy to see how unified they are as a group of performers, another additive to their talent.
Openers included Victoria Monet, and JoJo. Victoria Monet was a newer name to most, but she grabbed the audience’s attention with her sharp dancing, backup dancers, and strong voice. She had a fun personality, which was appreciated. JoJo was a really fun performance, most definitely a throwback. She is truly an amazing artist and performer as she presents so much honesty, passion, appreciation for audience, and phenomenal vocals. Before singing one of her new songs “I Am”, she explained to the audience how she was having a rough day; “I was picking myself apart today; we don’t need to prove anything to be worthy of love, we are all worthy”. It is inspiring how honest she can be with her audience, no matter the size.
Fifth Harmony began with highlights of the girl’s career’s playing on the screen, adding a feel of nostalgia, and also showing just how far they have come. It played clips from the beginning points of the X Factor, all the way until present time. It added a feel of nostalgia, but also amazement showing how far they have come.
The stage setup was interesting, including ruffled curtains around the stage adding a theatre type of feel, and included a staircase that was utilized differently throughout the set. Props utilized throughout the show included the use of smoke machines which were used much more often than I was expecting, which kept the show even more exciting, as well as oversized and multi-coloured beach balls.
This concert was different than most, because they had several different aspects to it. In term of aspects, the show was put on as if the audience was being taken to different destinations. Each destination consisted of 4 or 5 songs fitting to that “location”, and each time the location was switched a voice came through saying where we were being taken. Different “locations” included (in order as listed) Cloud 9 , Fantasy Island, Mystery Island, Paradise Island, and F.U.N. This was a really creative idea and added excitement and suspense to the show, as audience members were kept at the edge of their seat wondering what the next place would be, and how it would be stylized, and what songs would be included with it.
The setlist was absolutely perfect, as the crowd was enjoying each and every song. They had a great choice of what songs they performed including Sledgehammer, Miss Movin’ On, Dope, BO$$, Worth It, Work From Home, and many more. Although they have a new album out, they chose to play a combination of the old and the new, which is always appreciated by fans.
The girl’s had an amazing connection between themselves and the audience. Many fans were constantly waving and shouting out their names, and they took the time to acknowledge these fans either by giving them a wave or pointing at them. It is great to see artists appreciate and acknowledge people that love their music, adding a personal and intimate facet to the performance.
One of the best moments of the show was in the beginning of the show when “Sledgehammer” was performed. The performance was fun filled with plenty of expression and dancing however, toward the end of the song they slowed it down and created this interesting and unexpected interlude, in which I greatly appreciated. This addition added contrast and surprise to the performance.
Overall, Fifth Harmony is a group consisting of prodigious talent in the studio, and in front of audiences. They know how to put on a fun filled show enjoyable for all ages, and maybe even those who don’t consider pop music their favourite genre.
