Music acts entertained Howie, Mel B, Simon, and Heidi tonight on “AGT.” (Graphic & photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The America’s Got Talent: Season 13 quarterfinals rounds are in the home stretch! Tonight, the last 12 acts took to the Dolby Theatre stage in hopes that they would receive one of the final spots in the semifinals. This week, there were a significant amount of music and variety acts that performed tonight.
Which acts rose to the occasion? Who received a buzzer from the judges (Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel)? Read on to find out!
After reliving Simon’s induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was time for the final 12 acts to take the stage. The Chicago-based dance troupe, the Future Kingz, kicked off the night with a routine to Kanye West’s “Power.” The guys had a solid routine, but at the same time, I believe that they did not step it up! Both Da Republik and Junior New System ran circles around them. C-
Us The Duo was the first music act to take the stage. Earlier during the Judge Cuts rounds, the musicians shared that they were expecting a baby girl. Tonight, Us the Duo performed an original song about their unborn daughter. While I like their artistry, I wished that they performed some cover songs such as *NSYNC and Gloria Estefan’s “Music of the Heart,” Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road,” and Bette Midler’s “From the Distance.” Hopefully, they will perform a cover for the next round. B
Opera singer Daniel Emmet was the second music act of the night. He received the Judges’ Wild Card after being cut during the crucial Judge Cuts round. Don’t get me wrong; Daniel has a great voice. However, I thought that he did an average job performing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” In all honesty, friends to the blog Chris Mann, the Forte Tenors, and Branden James, all run circles around him! C
I love Brian King Joseph! The violinist poured so much heart and soul into his performance of Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries.” As he performed the track, a group of contortionists performed in the background. He electrified the crowd and delivered one of the best musical performances of the seasons. Touchdown, Brian!! A+
Before the break, Aaron Crow played with a small knife backstage of the Dolby Theatre. Now, the danger lover decided to bring Howie back onto the Dolby Theatre stage to assist him. He motioned to the Deal or No Deal host to pick a box, and he stuck a small saber in one of the boxes. He also motioned Howie to act like a human metronome, while he tried to guess the saber’s location. After eliminating two boxes, he motioned to Simon to join him on stage. He asked Simon to pick out the final box that did not have the dagger. At the last minute, Aaron revealed that Howie selected wrongly and almost cost Simon his life. Mel B pressed her buzzer and complained that the act was too long! I disagree, Aaron delivered one of the best danger acts performances that I have ever seen! A
Joseph O’Brien was the third music act of the night. In all honesty, I thought that he was boring all throughout the pre-taped portions of the show. While he could have the makings of becoming a talented musician, watching him perform was like watching paint dry! F
I admit that Hans is one of my guilty pleasure acts of this season. He is cheesy and can make almost everyone laugh and smile. Tonight, the accordionist delivered a polka version of “Spice Up Your Life.” I had the biggest grin on my face. Hans delivered a fantastic performance that made Heidi speak in German. One of the campiest music performances in AGT history, but it was an epic home run! A-
Siberian dance group UBI Dance made their Dolby Theatre debut. They hoped to inspire their students through the art of dance. The crew transported us into a Ready Player One-inspired world that started off with a Super Mario World theme before moving on to Super Smash Brothers. UBI Dance is probably one of the innovative dance crews that we saw all season. However, the judges were not happy with the performance, but I disagreed with Simon, Heidi, and Mel B because they knocked it out of the park. B/B+
Registered nurse Christina Wells delivered spectacular interpretations of “I’ve Known Where I’ve Been” and “Never Enough” in the first stages of the competition. Tonight, Christina dedicated her performance to her mother, who always believed in her. She performed “I Am Changing” from Dreamgirls and she delivered a vocal performance that moved me to tears! It was the vocal touchdown that I have been waiting all night for! A+
Tyra Banks’ Golden Buzzer act, Zurcaroh, made a splash at the Pasadena Civic Center. Their initial audition has been viewed over 320 million times. The group came together to honor a fallen member who passed away before the Dolby Theatre live shows. The dance troupe transported the audience into a jungle filled with countless contortionists and tumblers. I will say this before and I will say this again, I have never seen a group like Zurcaroh command the stage from start to finish. As Mel B stated, “it was breathtaking!” A+
Magician Rob Lake had a rough time convincing Simon that he deserved a spot in the Season 13 live shows. I got to say that Rob delivered a Vegas-like performance at the Dolby Theatre. He had some spectacular tricks, but I thought at the song choice almost derailed his act. Otherwise, he put on a great show. B+
Family man Michael Ketterer charmed the judges with a powerful take on the Bee Gees and Michael Bolton’s “To Love Somebody.” The father of six received Simon Cowell’s elusive Golden Buzzer, and he was the last music act of the night. Tonight, he performed James Bay’s “Us.” It was a strudy vocal, but the song choice threw me for a loop. I wished that he delivered a Springsteen, Sting, Billy Joel, or Sir Elton track. Otherwise, it was a strong performance that made both Simon and Mel B emotional! B/B+
