A cappella group Pentatonix hits high note with Houston fans on holiday tour

Fans at the Pentatonix Christmas Tour performance at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on December 21, 2019. Fans at the Pentatonix Christmas Tour performance at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on December 21, 2019. Photo: Gary Fountain, Contributor Photo: Gary Fountain, Contributor Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close A cappella group Pentatonix hits high note with Houston fans on holiday tour 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

The unconventional a cappella group, Pentatonix has been known to beguile, even mystify some live music fans. They typically don't play shows on Friday night, and their mysterious name is often confused for a death-metal group, fondly abbreviated as "PTX."

Yet, this group of emerging pop stars hailing from Arlington, Texas, has accomplished the unthinkable -- at one time, bumping Taylor Swift from the top spot on iTunes with their pop album, "That's Christmas to Me."

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Hundreds of Houston music fans reveled in the distinctive sound of Pentatonix at their Saturday evening showing at Smart Financial Center. Pentatonix's pop stylings are punctuated by basslines, percussion and vocal medleys.

The group has won three Grammys and known for their a cappella cover versions of Christmas classics. The quintet's rise to stardom speaks to the power of YouTube. The Pentatonix YouTube channel has now more than 13 million subscribers.

alison.medley@chron.com