Boy bands have come and gone throughout my life, but the Jonas Brothers will always hold a special place in my heart. The first time I listened to them, I was hooked at the moment I heard the glass shatter at the end of “SOS”. On July 31, 2008, my friend invited me to the Jonas Brothers Burnin’ Up Concert at Hersheypark Stadium. It was the first stadium concert I had ever been to, but even so the Jonas Brothers outdid my expectations. I never forgot how awesome their performance of the song “Burnin’ Up” was, complete with Big Rob’s verse, fire, lights, and lots of guitars.
Flash forward 11 years to March 2019 when the Jonas Brothers dropped their single “Sucker.” I couldn’t believe that they were back together, but when they announced their tour dates, I knew I would be there to see them.
August 31, 2019, I found myself at Hersheypark Stadium again, 11 years and 1 month to the date of my first Jonas Brothers concert. After waiting in line for over an hour for a t-shirt (yes, it was worth it), I rushed back to my seat. Around 9:45pm, the stadium went dark and erupted into screams that echoed back more than ten years for the majority of the girls waiting to see their childhood make-believe boyfriends. The Jonas Brothers seemed to descend from the heavens as they were lowered from the top of the stage while they played the intro to “Rollercoaster” amid a dazzling light show and columns of fire bursting forth from the stage. Kevin, Joe, and Nick each wore monochrome royal purple, hot pink, and teal green suits to match the colorful light display. By the time we had reached the chorus of the first song, my voice was shot.
They went on to play a mix of new and old songs; everything from the hits “Cool” and “Only Human” played nonstop on the radio today to “That’s Just the Way We Roll” and “Fly With Me” that only fans from ten or more years ago would recognize. My friends and I fawned over Nick, still our childhood crush and future husband, if only in our minds (sorry Priyanka, we still love you, too).
One of the highlights of the concert was when the Jonas Brothers made their way through the middle of the floor to a floating stage in the middle of the stadium. They played the ballad “Hesitate”, which Joe wrote for his wife Sophie Turner. They also took requests from the audience, including “Can’t Have You” and even “Gotta Find You,” a throwback from the Disney movie “Camp Rock” that the band starred in with Demi Lovato.
After running back to the main stage, Joe and Nick performed Nick’s solo hit “Jealous” together. The brothers put a new twist on the song by flaunting their angelic voices and repeating the lyrics of the chorus: “You’re too sexy, beautiful, and everybody wants a taste, that’s why I still get jealous.” I’m sure I wasn’t the only one imagining them singing directly to me. Next was the summer party anthem, “Cake by the Ocean” by Joe’s former band DNCE. Confetti, rainbow lights, and the wavy blow up people usually seen outside of car lots gave the concert a rave-kind of feeling.
Kevin came back after an outfit change to accompany his brothers on the piano. A video of grown up Kevin in a forest with his two daughters reaching out to a younger Kevin set the tone for the next song, “Comeback”— a beautiful love song about his commitment to family written for his wife and daughters.
Another highlight of the show and unique to the Hershey concert was their performance of “Lovebug”. The boys brought back their original band to play the song, which was from their “A Little Bit Longer” album. Starting out with acoustic guitars and soft voices, the song ended amid electric guitar rifts and a loudly singing crowd. To please every original Jonas Brother’s fan, the band also performed a mash up of old and new songs, including “Hold On”, “Year 3000”, and “Kids of the Future”.
The stage went dark again, and the performers ran out of sight. Some people in the crowd, thinking the concert was over, started to leave the stadium. However, after a minute or two, the stage burst into flame and song as the Jonas Brothers reappeared to perform “Burnin’ Up”. My love for the Jonas Brothers had come full circle. The only difference between this moment and the time I saw them 11 years ago was the passage of time. Same band, same stage, same song, same me.
As soon as I thought that this moment couldn’t get any better, Big Rob came on stage and rapped his iconic lines (“Yo, we’re burning up in this place tonight”). A 35,000 strong roar of excitement swept the stadium.
This must be where happiness begins, I thought to myself.
The finale song, “Sucker”, solidified the band’s getting back together and promised fans that there is still more to come from the Jonas Brothers. My friends and I had a blast burnin’ up for the Jonas Brothers!
And Nick, I’m still a sucker for you.
HCXO,
Zelie-Marie