Before You Exit
June 25, 2014
Jacobs Pavilion- Cleveland, OH
On Thursday, June 25, 2014, Fifth Harmony made their rounds to Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in Cleveland, Ohio. It was just three short months after their appearance in Cleveland with Demi Lovato on her Neon Lights Tour; and a year later from their performance at the South Park Mall in Strongsville. They sure have come a long way from their third place finish on the X-Factor.
The show began with a short ten minute performance by newcomer American boy band, Suite 44, which consists of 4 teens hailing from New York. They were booked for all of the Ohio tour dates on the 5th Time’s a Charm Tour. The boy band consists of Sergio, Michael, Jay, and PJ. Their energy and enthusiasm as they jumped and danced around the stage sure got the crowd going and was a great way to start the show. The boys interacted well with the fans by running in the pit and even meeting fans after their set to sign autographs and take pictures. Suite 44 wasn’t anything out of the ordinary as far as boy bands go, but there could be potential for them in the future.
Next in the lineup was Jackson Harris, who is another growing musician from New York. Alongside Harris was his backup band which consisted of a drummer, guitarist, and bass player. He was able to serenade the crowd with his soothing vocals and passionate emotion. His on stage energy was not up to par with the previous band, but he was still able to keep the fans interested.
Macy’s Rising Star winners, Before You Exit, was up next. The band consists of the three frontline brothers, Connor, Riley, and Toby McDonough. Along with them was drummer, Thomas Silvers and bassist, Ryan Wheeler. They opened with their current single Dangerous, looking fly and wooing the crowd in sunglasses. Next was their hit A Little More You and then a new, unreleased song called California. It was a special night in Cleveland on Thursday because it was their monitor engineer’s, James’, birthday. The guys brought him out on stage and had everyone join them in singing him Happy Birthday. Another fun fact that was mentioned was that Connor was born in Cleveland, and it was said that he was “proud that he was born here,” which means a great deal to Cleveland natives, and fans, such as myself. Next they slowed things down with their song Soldier, before they took their traditional onstage photo with the crowd. A fan favorite, End Of The World, was sung next and the boys incorporated a back and forth singalong with the fans. Some would say this is a very 
intimate and cherished moment among fans. Being able to hear the entire venue sing your lyrics back to you is a rewarding feeling for artists. They added a cover to their set by singing Life is a Highway by Rascal Flats, which included a guitar solo from Connor. Lastly, they ended with their song I Like That. Throughout their entire set, the brothers were full of energy, jumping and running around the stage and even in the pit, interacting with fans as much as they could. After their set, before walking off stage, Connor said that Cleveland “may be one of the best shows on tour so far,” and then tweeted about it by saying, “One of our favorite shows on the tour Cleveland! Thank you!” During their last song is when it was realized how much this band and these brothers have really matured and grown musically in their abilities. Riley, the lead singer’s, voice has definitely changed the most in past four years as he has progressed into a young adult. As well as adding the youngest brother, Toby, to the band has sure helped to evolve their sound. It might be a lot to work up to, but Before You Exit could potentially become the next Jonas Brothers with time.
Now it was finally time for Fifth Harmony to perform and the crowd was definitely ready. The girls, Lauren, Ally, Dinah, Camila, and Normandi, strutted onto the stage wearing all white outfits and opened with their song Me and My Girls. The crowd was mainly filled with young girls and their parents, some of whom it was their first concert. Fifth Harmony refers to their fan following as “Girl Scouts”, which ironically there were many actual Girl Scouts in the audience. Their second song was Better Together and although the sound quality wasn’t as good as it could have been, it was refreshing to see and hear a group of girls instead of all of the boy bands that continue to emerge. One Wish was next, and then Who Are You and a cover by Sam Smith called Latch, which slowed down the show. The girls then invited two girls up on stage who preordered their new album, Bo$$. They continued the show with Leave My Heart Out Of This. Next they sang three more cover songs which included Independent Women by Destiny’s Child, All Of Me by John Legend, and Rude by Magic! During All Of Me, they invited a male fan on stage, John, and serenaded him, which could have easily been any guy’s dream. Just like Before You Exit, Fifth Harmony captured their moment in Cleveland with a selfie with the crowd. Don’t Want To Dance Alone was their last song, where they brought Jackson Harris on stage to dance with them. Of course, they came back to do an encore of their hit Miss Moving On and a preview from their upcoming album. The girls showed tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and passion for what they were doing on stage by dancing and obviously having a blast. Cleveland is waiting in anticipation to have Fifth Harmony back when they make their stop at the Wolstein Center with Austin Mahone on September 9, 2014.
Review by: Alexa Pressman
Before You Exit
Jackson Harris
Suite 44
