The Jonas Brothers brought their current tour — Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour. — to Globe Life Field in Arlington on Wednesday night.
The show was a sprawling showcase of the beloved 2000s boy band’s almost 20-year run, celebrating every era of their career with segments dedicated to each of their albums. If you think this sounds a little familiar, you’re not the only one. This choice in scale and structure calls to mind another three-hour victory lap that came through Arlington this year with Taylor Swift's Eras tour. But, the Jonas Brothers’ show differed in one major way.
And it shouldn’t have happened. The choice to perform for three hours was a grave miscalculation of their abilities.
Don’t get us wrong: Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas are charismatic and engaging performers. This past April, we praised their secret show in Fort Worth, singling out their stage presence and ability to thrill fans with songs old and new. They still possess all of these strengths.
But three hours is a long time to expect fans to keep up their energy and enthusiasm. And we’re not saying it’s a big ask for the Jonas Brothers. It’s a big ask for anyone. With the exception of borderline cult leaders like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, very few artists can captivate even their most passionate fans for that long.
And even pop deities can’t rely on devotion alone. Artists who get away with marathon shows also employ this thing called spectacle: elaborate sets, costumes, choreography and other shinies. The JoBros chose to dazzle their fans with a few saxophone solos, a spattering of impotent pyrotechnics and commercials for their brand endorsements during the intermission.
(Word to the wise: The moment you realize you might need an intermission should also be the moment you step back and make some cuts.)
Fans came out in droves to support the band and brought enthusiasm that seemed to know no bounds. The setlist, however, was extremely frontloaded, with most of their best loved, Disney-era hits such as "SOS" and "Year 3000" playing in the first half. As the hours went by, you could see the life leaving people’s eyes. Many opted to depart at intermission, and a steady stream of fans filtered out over the remainder of the show, due to what we can only assume is their not knowing what they were getting into. (The band’s gaudy excess is even more hubristic and offensive considering Paul McCartney doesn’t even play that long. He’s Paul McCartney, and they’re not. Not even combined. They’re three-fourths of a Ringo, at best.)
So what was good about the show? Here’s the truly tragic thing: a lot. The Jonases are still the same band that wowed us during an underplay just a few months ago, and there were several show-stopping moments. They surprised the crowd with a performance of “Play My Music” from their Disney Channel movie Camp Rock. Some may consider this a niche fandom in-joke, but anyone who grew up during that time is far more likely to know every word to “Play My Music” than “Waffle House.”
The crowd also introduced some memorable moments of their own, including a proposal, a gender reveal and some quality kiss-cam moments.
Our favorite moment, however, was courtesy of special guest Big Rob, who was brought onstage to perform his rap verse in “Burnin’ Up.” While the band’s former bodyguard’s endearingly random verse is cut from most radio edits, it’s become a nostalgic fan favorite and the crowd went nuts when he came out.
This delightful choice speaks to the truly enduring appeal of the Jonas Brothers. They’re not the kind of pop stars who are constantly reinventing themselves or putting on overly elaborate shows, but they do have a special relationship with longtime fans. They’ve been doing this long enough that they know exactly what to do to get them to cheer, cry and even laugh.
They clearly know how to give people what they want. Now they need to work on leaving them wanting more.
