By: Leta Lohrmeyer
On my 10th birthday, I begged my dad to make me a Jonas Brothers chocolate cake, so it seems appropriate that 10 years later I got to see the Jonas Brothers live in concert.
After a surprise reunion, the family trio has released an album and started a national tour both titled, “Happiness Begins.” This is their first combined work since the band broke up in 2013, much to the delight of fans across several generations, including me.
The band of brothers performed in Kansas City on Sept. 22 and will continue to make their way across the country before finally coming to Omaha Dec. 4.
At the Kansas City concert, there were two different opening acts including Jordan McGraw (Dr. Phil’s son) and Bebe Rexha.
During Rexha’s opening set, she and her ensemble performed her collection of songs along with the ones she helped co-write, including “The Monster,” “Me, Myself & I,” and “Meant to Be.” The upbeat music and dancing were infectious to the crowd, prompting Rexha to invite an enthusiastic fan named Amber to sing along and perform a dance solo onstage. After dancing her heart out, the entire stadium was chanting Amber’s name.
Now it was time for the JoBros to shine.
Joe, Nick, and Kevin descended upon the stage in a shower of sparks, bedecked in vibrant fuchsia, mint green, and royal purple suits, respectively. The cheers of fans were almost deafening making it hard to hear the lyrics of the opening song, “Rollercoaster.”
The threesome stood onstage being enveloped by screams and clapping, each of them looked genuinely moved by the reception of their return, bowing, holding their hearts, and mouthing “thank you.”
The concert was a celebration of both the history and the future works of the Jonas Brothers. They frequently alternated between their classic tunes like one of my personal favorites, “Year 3000” to the songs on their new album like “Cool.” At one point, the Brother’s said that they couldn’t possibly perform their entire discography, but they wanted to do as many songs as they could. Leading them to sing a melody of their popular music, making any die-hard fans pleased with the setlist.
The show even took the time to highlight the brothers’ solo careers, with Nick singing “Jealous,” Joe’s cover of the DNCE song “Cake by the Ocean,” and Kevin playing an interlude on a grand piano.
Be warned, if you want to hear the best songs you must wait for the encore.
Not only did the concert sound good, but it also looked good. There were bursts of color and confetti. Throughout the concert a narrative story was shown on the stage screens with videos depicting the brothers interacting with actors portraying their younger selves. The videos relay the emotions of boys’ innocence, self-discovery and eventual joy.
The combination of nostalgia and unabashed enthusiasm makes this tour truly where “Happiness Begins.” In case you were wondering, the birthday cake, along with the show, was amazing.
