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The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo rarely comes with this much teen and preteen appeal, drama or good, old-fashioned hometown connection.
On Monday, the rodeo got it all with newly retooled pop sensations Fifth Harmony arriving to dance, strut, sing and sprinkle in messages of empowerment to a nearly sold-out crowd at the AT&T Center.
The girl vocal group — which in mid-December dropped from a quintet to a quartet after the departure of singer Camila Cabello — features hometown singer Ally Brooke Hernandez, who during the holidays helped deliver toys to children at University Hospital (she also caught the Spurs on Christmas Day).
Only homegrown pop star Austin Mahone and his screaming fans known as Mahomies have generated this kind of youthful yearning and fun at the rodeo. Screams went up before the show started any time the announcer mentioned the group’s name.
Bailey Luckman, 17, a high school student from Pleasanton, said she doesn’t mind the group’s recent changes. “I still love them just the same,” Luckman said. Her friend, Aris Tejeda, 16, said the night would be complete for the small town friends when Fifth Harmony sang “Work From Home.”
The age range for the group’s fans ranged from teenagers like Luckman and Tejeda to tots and preteens, as well as sophisticated twentysomethings. Deafening screams and multicolored glowsticks went up when the lights went down at 9:30 p.m. They slinked onstage, struck a pose, dressed in various red fashion statements and launched into “That’s My Girl,” the joyous fist-pumping electro-pop and R&B anthem.
To understand what all the fuss is about, one must remember that plenty of today’s talented teen dreams are buoyed by a presence on multiple platforms — from TV commercials, social media, contest shows like “The X-Factor” (where Fifth Harmony was really born in 2012), the MTV Video Awards and huge singles.
At the rodeo, the staging was exceptionally clean with only a drum kit on one side and a keyboard rig (and guitars) across the way on the rotating stage.
There was the expected speculation and, yes, hype about whether there is any ill-will between the former parties. Based on what the fans saw singing and spinning above the rodeo dirt, the question might be posed: Camila who?
In front of the microphones, Fifth Harmony rocked out without a care.
“I’m so happy to be home,” said Hernandez. “This is the greatest city in the world.” The pummeling drums signaled “Miss Movin’ On,” an early breakout hit and maybe a little symbolic now. “This is How We Roll,” with the four women singing in unison, had youngsters on their feet, shaking and swaying and screaming at full pitch when Hernandez sustained a sweet falsetto note.
The group also includes singers Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui. Each are stars, taking turns in the spotlight. They’ve performed at the White House, on “Dancing with the Stars” and honored by Billboard.
Fifth Harmony last played S.A. at a sold-out show at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in 2015, serving up a set characterized by hair-whipping dance moves, twerking and scream-inducing dance pop. It’s a formula that works today, as well as it did in the days of The Supremes, En Vogue, the Cheetah Girls or the Jackson 5, for that matter.
— Hector Saldana
Hsaldana@express-news.net
Hsaldana@express-news.net
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