Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas announced their reunion as the Jonas Brothers on February 28th, 2019. Immediately, they had the world screaming for albums, tour dates, and merchandise. The Jonas Brothers: Happiness Begins Tour got underway late this summer, making its way to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles by the end of October.
I had the opportunity to bring out my eight-year-old self at these shows on both October 20th and 21st after whetting my appetite with the trio’s short performance at the annual “We Can Survive” festival on October 19th at the same venue. That makes three nights of the Jonas Brothers in a row and I’m still craving more.
Each concert was an elaborate mix of brightly-colored suits, shocking pyrotechnics, and bold vocals. Their set list featured songs ranging from 2006 throwback hits like “Year 3000” to 2019 chart-topping “Sucker”.
I found myself appreciating and respecting the Jonas Brothers for the variety in their song-choice. They reached both old and new fans, and even those like me who became groupies after they starred in the Disney original Camp Rock. By not acting “too cool” for songs from their earlier years, the band shows maturity, humility, and confidence; they recognize their classic songs’ popularity and acknowledge the influence each of them had on their careers. They also indulge those of us who rocked out to them as young children.
The band’s outfit changes and hints of choreography could have come off as tacky and tasteless﹘ somewhat resembling of the Wiggles﹘, but they were easily pulled off with confidence. Anybody as attractive as Kevin, Nick, and Joe can make any outfit, even boldly colored suits, look designer. These outfits were far from cliche boy band style, which made them much more memorable and lovable.
The concert experience at the Hollywood Bowl can often feel distant and secluded for those who can’t afford expensive tickets, so the Brothers adjusted both nights to play a portion of their set on a B-stage located halfway into the crowd to reach us fans that were all the way in the back. This was my personal favorite part of each night because I was close enough to see the facial expressions of each Jonas brother.
It was on this small stage where they performed a tear-jerking ballad from their new album, “Hesitate” and Camp Rock classic “Gotta Find You” before they asked the crowd what we wanted to hear. I felt that the Jonas Brothers wanted my personal input for their performance. Joe’s small gesture of asking which song we wanted them to sing took me from a 17,500 person stadium to an intimate, exclusive venue.
Later in the night, Joe, my long-term personal favorite of the Jonas’, revealed that their band had a library of over 200 songs to choose from. To please what Joe referred to as the dedicated, or “special fans,'' the band sang a medley of eight songs from their first three albums, including one other from Camp Rock.
The throwback songs were great for fist-pumping and voice-losing, but the songs from their newest album, “Happiness Begins,” carried emotion and told stories that allowed for beautiful vocals from Nick and Joe.
Yet it didn’t even matter what songs these stylish brothers sang; their authentic happiness and seemingly effortless stage presence had everybody- even the parents who were dragged along- clapping and finding joy. The Jonas Brothers provided an unprecedented concert experience for me, a frequent concert attendee, at their well-named, well-attended, and well… just great Happiness Begins Tour.
My only complaints would be that there were some flaws in the sound mixing, which were solved by the second night. Otherwise, the vocals, instruments, and media were all spot-on.
Just about every moment from the two nights had me screaming, but my highlight reel includes: Kevin’s emotion-filled piano playing, the singing of “Jealous” and “Cake By The Ocean”, Big Rob’s surprise appearance for “Burnin’ Up”, their impromptu performance of “Jersey”, and the beat-drop turned firework display during “Lovebug”.
I would encourage anybody to attend a Jonas Brothers concert, especially if you’re hesitant to jump into the boy band hype. The band wowed me as more than just beautiful boys— and they are really, really beautiful boys— they are natural performers who owned the stage like they were meant to be there. I caught the “Lovebug” from the Jonas Brothers and am now scheming to get tickets to their Los Angeles shows in December.
Jonas Scale of Concert Evaluation Key:
Nick- Awesome. Could go 17 times for his 17 weddings.
Joe- Pretty good. Better than I thought.
Kevin- Could have been better. Fairly average.
The Bonus Jonas (Frankie)- Awful. Why am I here?
Seeing as they named the scale, it is only fitting that the Jonas Brothers earn a Nick on the Jonas Scale of Concert Evaluation. I could watch them perform multiple nights in a row. Their stage presence and energy had me captivated for the duration of the concert. In terms of overall fun for both the band and the audience, it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.
