Singing group Fifth Harmony picked a wild day to arrive in Chicago for its Reflection Tour.
On March 14, Chicagoans dyed the river green, threw a parade and drank themselves silly to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The group sold out the too-small Riviera Theatre, which has a capacity of 1,400 people. A crowd mostly made up very young girls, their mothers and twink teens waited down the block to enter early while drunken revelers stumbled past them.
There were several opening acts, such as Mahogany Lox, a DJ with cat ears; Jasmine V, with her booty-popping dancers; and Jacob Whitesides, armed with only a guitar. The X Factor five finally arrived after 8:30 p.m., to the delight of screaming girlssome of them as young as 10.
Posing and hair-flipping, the quintet quickly settled into hits like "Miss Movin' On" and "Sledgehammer" that played well live. After seeing them perform at local concerts at the House of Blues and Allstate Arena in the past, it is safe to say success has not changed them.
Ally, Normani, Dinah, Camila and Lauren all took a moment to stand in the spotlight. The highlight of the show was hearing them harmonize. It's the thing thing they do best and makes them a rarity in music today. They sat down and did just that covering Hozier's "Take Me to Church." A Mariah Carey medley followed to launch into their song "Like Mariah." They closed with "Boss" and an encore of "Brave, Honest, Beautiful."
This team of voices was brought together by Simon Cowell, who is now at it again making a Latin boy band with auditions in Chicago April 4. Who knows? You could be part of the next Armonia Quinto.
Follow the Reflection Tour at www.fifthharmonyofficial.com .
Photos and text by Jerry Nunn