Written by Jamie Ortega
Photos by Ed Clinton Go
Fan girls and boys of all shapes and sizes reigned supreme at the Mall Of Asia last October 19, 2012 as Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas, collectively known as the pop rock band Jonas Brothers, performed to thousands of ardent supporters in their first-ever Philippine concert. Some bands have a hard time staging a comeback after taking on solo separate careers, but not the JoBros, as they are fondly called. Looking more mature and a whole lot sexier, the boys set the arena stage on fire with songs from their four studio albums It’s About Time, Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer, and Lines, Vines And Trying Times.
To those unfamiliar with the boys here is a little biography to keep you all up to speed: formed in 2005, the Jonas Brothers gained popularity via the Disney show Miley Cyrus starring Hannah Montan, followed by their own program also on the Disney network Jonas Brothers: Living The Dream. They continued their acting career with the Disney Channel original movie Camp Rock and its’ sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.
One of their Camp Rock co-stars Filipino –American singer and actress Anna Maria Perez De Tagle served as the night’s front act. Wearing a black figure-hugging glittery top and pants designed by Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino, Anna Marie made her kababayan’s hearts swell with pride with her show-stopping performance of Rihanna’s Only Girl In The World and The One That Got Away. Anna Maria also showed OPM some love by performing a fun medley of local tunes Please Be Careful With My Heart, Torete, and Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. She impressed her fans even further by speaking to the audience in Tagalog before waving goodbye and leaving the stage.
No one can deny the popularity of Jonas Brothers in the country –people in JoBros shirts carrying JoBro banners while milling around the Arena several hours before the concert are just a few examples of what these fans would do for their idols. And just like a pot that was slowly simmering throughout the day, the excitement that was filling their hearts finally boiled over as they began to chant “Jonas, Jonas, Jonas,” as soon as the front act was over while simultaneously running to the front of the stage.
The cheers and pleas from the crowd did not go to waste because after several minutes the boys finally appeared on stage, simultaneously kicking off the show with one of their biggest hits, When You Look Me In The Eyes. The crowd immediately began to sing along to the first song, waving their glow sticks in the air as some girls wiped tears off their eyes, filled with disbelief that after six years they were finally seeing their idols in the flesh.
The band’s opening salvo was followed by Much Better, Goodnight And Goodbye and That’s The Way We Roll as lead vocalist Joe Jonas, clad in a black top with white stripes bounced around onstage while Kevin, the eldest Jonas, wearing a brown jacket and white collared top, took care of the guitars. Nick, the youngest Jonas, clad in a black polo and black jacket showed the most range that night by doing vocals, playing the keyboards and drums. The energy that emanated from the crowd during the first leg of the concert did not let up as the audience, composed mostly of hard-core Jonas fans, sang along to the 28 song repertoire. The setlist was also peppered with fun covers like Rihanna’s We Found Love which was mashed up with an original Fly With Me. Another well-received mash-up was Hello Beautiful and We Are Young. Nick, who started a solo career in 2009 with the formation of his own band, Nick Jonas & The Administration had his own time in the limelight as he sang the hit song Who I Am from his solo album bearing the same name.
Grateful and appreciative of the strong response that they were receiving, the boys took the time, in between numbers, to show their fans just how happy they were. “I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to come here,” shared Nick Jonas. “It’s our first time here in Manila and you guys are showing us so much love.” “It really is more fun in the Philippines,” he added, a comment which drove the crowd wild. Nick also mentioned that the band will be making Manila a priority as they go on tour once more next year.
From fans to songs to tears and cheers, the concert had all the ingredients of a perfect show –with just a little bit of controversy in the form of the song Wedding Bells.Believed by many to be written by Nick for his ex-girlfriend Miley Cyrus, Nick all but admitted that it was indeed written for her by uttering these words before introducing the song. “This is a song I feel uncomfortable about,” But as an artist, you have to write about things that you felt while in the moment, if you recall our anniversary falls 11 nights into June,” he revealed alluding to the day he and Miley became a couple.
The 28 strong set ended with the hit song SOS as the boys took their final bows. As cheers filled the arena, the band took to the stage once more to play the night’s encore, one of their biggest hits to date, Burning Up- two words which coincidentally would be the perfect way to describe the night-a fun culmination of the fans’ passion, and the band’s fiery talent, all meshed into one undeniably amazing show.
For more photos from the show, click here:
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