Colored lights flashed across the mass of bodies huddled together in anticipation. Every person was united by a single heartbeat, rapidly beating and audible from across the city. Three boxes emerged from the extravagantly decorated stage of the Hollywood Bowl, followed by shrill shrieks of purely fanatic joy. Images flashed on the screen, drumsticks played and sparks of gold flew up from the stage, coloring the sky. Then, they appeared. They were back. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the Jonas Brothers were together as a band once again. Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas finally reunited as they made their first debut after a hiatus of almost 7 years. During this break, they all chose to focus on their personal and individual aspirations in life. Kevin (31) celebrated his wedding and birth of two daughters. Joe (29) followed a solo career at the onset of the breakup only to make his way as the lead singer of a popular pop/rock band, DNCE. Nick (27) arguably, had the most successful solo career of them all and produced many popular singles as well as two of his own albums. As a loyal fan, myself, since the release of their first album in 2007, you can imagine my smiles and shrills of pure happiness after I heard the news of the reunion, new album and upcoming tour. It was in that moment where the entire fandom and I were all thinking one thing: Happiness Begins.
When I stepped foot into my first Jonas Brothers concert, I was probably no more than eight years old at the time. As a young girl who listened to their first album on repeat for hours on end using my pink boom box, prancing around the room with my best friend as we danced like fanatics, you could say that I was starstruck seeing them live. When I was ten and saw them live with the Camp Rock crew, my heart, once again, stopped and I was mesmerized by their music, the aura and the vibe of it all. Now, ten years later, I find myself experiencing these same feelings of awe, joy and euphoria as I stepped foot into the Hollywood Bowl.
Language is a funny thing, in that when you have an experience so breathtakingly sensational, words sometimes escape you and your mental capacity to form thoughts and dictate them seems to have disappeared. That is exactly how I feel now after seeing the Jonas Brothers perform at the Hollywood Bowl. Absolutely at a loss for words. The brothers played about 25 songs throughout the night and, for every single one of them, I was singing every word, dancing to every beat and taking in every unforgettable second of it. Not only do they always put on the most breathtaking performances, but the production and heart that go into every show never cease to leave me at a loss for words. Throughout their setlist, they had a video on-screen behind them that showed a progression of them in their younger days until present day. It showcased all of the brothers in a video montage combined with their on-stage performances: Joe’s hit song from DNCE “Cake by the Ocean,” Nick’s catchy single “Jealous” and a touching scene of Kevin and his two daughters. Not only could you feel the overwhelming sense of love from the audience, but you could also, truly, feel it among the brothers.
This experience was especially meaningful because seeing them perform brought me back to the most special and memorable moments of my childhood. Blasting their music during car rides back from school with my friends, dancing and laughing as my friends and I would put on mini concerts at our houses to their songs, these special moments felt reborn and solidified as I screamed to those same songs ten years later. It truly was a full-circle moment, my childhood met my present and all of the love, energy and joy that I felt then, I felt throughout the entirety of their Happiness Begins concert. Although for me, happiness never truly stopped. The lights can grow dim, the music can fade away into the masses of people being herded out of the stadium, but the feeling that comes from sharing the pure joy and euphoria with you, the band and 10,000 strangers – that is immeasurable.