On Feb. 8, Joe Jonas rocked the stage of Universal Mardi Gras. Everyone who was fortunate enough to tune in can attest that he blew his fans away, not just with his vocals but with the undeniable fact that he aged like fine wine.
From his outfit to his charisma, Jonas reclaimed the “childhood celebrity crush” title for many during his performance. Seeing the star in person made me fall in love with him even more.
As many would agree, it was evident that Jonas was so happy to be performing to such a large crowd. You could practically feel his energy radiating from the stage. It was his first time performing solo in a while, and with his solo album Music for People Who Believe In Love teetering on its release, Jonas’ excitement was imminent throughout the crowd.
The concert was set to start at 8:30 p.m., but some fans were eager enough to start line-up queues extra early. One TikTok creator, Ashley Wheetley, even lined up as early as 6:00 a.m. Like his other anticipatory fans, Wheetley camped out all day while giving periodic updates through her platform! Her dedication was so popular that Jonas’ team even reposted her updates on Instagram.
By the time I got to the venue, there was already a huge crowd, but I was able to find a decent spot to see Joe Jonas in full view. While I may not have been super close to the stage, I could still have a great time amongst all the other “Jonatics.”
When my childhood crush started singing songs from all his featured Disney movies, I couldn’t help but join in with the thousands of others cheering alongside me. Giving his fans a nostalgia trip, Jonas performed all his iconic songs, bringing out the child in everyone. Out of his complete set list, he included “Gotta Find You” and “This is Me” — only the best songs from the Camp Rock movie series. Hearing him sing these classics was a much-needed throwback and made my night.
One of the most notable aspects of the event was that Jonas brought out many artists to join him. I am not a big TikTok follower, but I was excited when he brought out Alex Warren, mainly because I love his wife, Kovur. Jonas gave credit to Warren, saying he never really remembers the lyrics of a song but vividly remembers Warren’s song “Burning Down.” Warren expressed his nerves, but as the song went on, he and Jonas had good energy together and could start the concert strong.
Then, Jonas brought Colombian singer Ela Taubert out on stage to sing their recent collaboration on the single “¿Cómo Pasó?”. While I wasn’t too familiar with Taubert prior to their performance, I thought her voice was absolutely beautiful. Her vocal control and impressive range complimented Jonas’ harmonics incredibly well. The musical chemistry they shared between the two was even more apparent in performing their rendition of “Sorry” by Justin Beiber.
Personally, my favorite collaboration of the whole night was when he was joined onstage by one of his brothers, Frankie Jonas. This part was especially special for me because the two genuinely enjoyed standing together to deliver an amazing experience for everyone there. Together, the brothers brought so much life to the stage, and their new song, “Velvet Sunshine,” is such a hit. With Universal Mardi Gras being one of Frankie’s first performances with his brother, we can only hope to see more from the two in the future!
Jonas delivered an unforgettable night, balancing nostalgia with fun collaborations. If this concert was a ramp-up to his solo album, I will absolutely be listening.