The Jonas Brothers bring reflections on growth and next-level camp to Wells Fargo Center - WXPN | Vinyl At Heart
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The Jonas Brothers | photo by Morgan Smith for WXPN | phobymo.com

The Jonas Brothers are truly an anomaly. They have been both Disney pop sensations in their younger years, and become all the rage again as married adults, with a five-year break in between. They are well aware of their good fortune and ferocious fanbase, and their current tour — which touched down at Philly’s Wells Fargo Center last night — reflected upon their growth over the years.

While the Jonases played cuts from their new album Happiness Begins, they showcased an equal number of songs from Joe Jonas’ project DNCE, and touched on Nick Jonas’ solo career with “Jealous.” Of course, the latter portion of the show featured a medley of tunes from the Disney days, while more popular old tracks like “SOS” and “Year 3000” were played in full.

When Nick, Kevin, and Joe arrived on stage they wore brightly colored suits: green, purple, and red respectively. The stages were outrageously elaborate, equipped with fireworks, fire cannons, sky-high elevating platforms, neon circles on an enormous mobile, rainbow confetti, and even giant tube men. It was some next level camp.

The Jonas Brothers | photo by Morgan Smith for WXPN | phobymo.com

The transitional videos projected onto monitors throughout the tour veer on saccharine, but appeal to fans nostalgic of the carefree early 2000s and the Jonas Brothers as a marker of their youth. It was The clips show present-day Nick, Joe, and Kevin interacting with their younger selves (as played by child actors). It was cheesy, but self-aware and enjoyable.

They quickly segued into one song after the next, surprisingly not offering too much in-depth conversation, but it worked. Joe didn’t even take the time to mention the presence of his wife (Game of Thrones star, Sophie Turner, who fans quickly noticed in the VIP section). The group’s music spoke for itself. The Jonas Brothers played passionately, not letting go of their spark, despite having been together as performers since 2005 (and siblings for their entire lives). Were they the most talented live performers? No, but they tactfully played upon the rose-colored glasses of their fanbase.

Openers for the tour included Jordan McGraw and Bebe Rexha. McGraw offered a radio pop performance complete with a choreographed routine, and a Blink 182 cover. While Rexha told of her days as a songwriter for others, proving her prowess as a solo artist.

It was refreshing seeing people of all ages scattered throughout the stadium — young fans, grown-up fans, and everybody in between. While pop performers can have a tendency to fall flat, the Jonas Brothers used their audience’s energy to positively soar.

Setlist
Rollercoaster
S.O.S.
Cool
Only Human
Strangers
That’s Just the Way We Roll
Fly With Me
Used to Be
Hesitate
Shelf
Gotta Find You
Jealous
Cake By The Ocean
Comeback
When You Look Me in the Eyes
I Believe
Mandy/ Paranoid / Got Me Going Crazy / Play My Music / World War III / Hold On / Tonight
Burnin’ Up
Sucker

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