OMJ, The Jonas Brothers Are Back!
The Box, NYC, March 2nd, 2019. This is it. Everything I’ve ever dreamed of was finally happening. It felt surreal. With the revival of the Jonas Brothers Instagram and pictures of the three of them filming popping up, I knew something was happening but I didn't want to assume just what it was going to be. And it turns out it was originally just going to be a documentary followed by a Vegas residency until they decided to do this thing again all in. Over the past 6 years, I developed individual relationships with both Joe and Nick, and now it was time to tie it all together. And Kevin, how I missed him so! I cried the day the news broke about them disbanding, and you better believe I cried again when they announced their long awaited comeback.
Z100 held my fate in their hands with their first reunion show right here in NYC. As usual, the only way in was to win and I wouldn’t miss this for the world…it just wouldn’t be right if I wasn’t there to witness history begin again! I had all hands on deck calling a number I know as well as my own cellphone (1-800-242-0100) all day long. I needed this, my fangirl status was on the line here. I was having zero luck until my very good friend, who I had the pleasure of meeting because of the Jonas Brothers themselves, made my life by telling me she had won and that she was taking little old me with her. I couldn’t believe it, this in itself made everything come full circle that we had met backstage at a Nick Jonas meet and greet and we were going to the Jonas Brothers first ever reunion show together. Talk about kismet.
This was definitely not as intimate a setting as DNCE’s unveiling show by Z100. The vibe was electric with Jonas Brothers fan new and (mostly) old packing out The Box and lining the walls. It wasn’t the largest venue, but boy did they get as many people in there as they could. Up in the balcony, J Sisters Danielle Jonas and Sohie Turner could be seen jamming to the boys, for Danielle like they never left, and for Sophie like she didn’t quite know just what she was in store for. It was SO loud, never in my life have I heard as synchronized a crowd singing along to every nuance, not just the recorded ones, but the little bits that we all remember from the live shows. I had never felt such a sense of belonging as I did at this one particular show, a feeling that would continue into what would be the Happiness Begins tour. Everyone was just so happy. You wouldn’t know if it was 2009 or 2019, it really was like no one missed a beat. With a generous set that blended the classics with what was to come, the whole room knew we were on the verge of something very special in this new chapter. We may have never known that off stage the boys weren’t happy at the end of round one of their joint career, but this time around there was definitely no faking the energy and genuine joy that they emulated. You could feel how good it was to be back for them too.
I was holding new music to a very high standard, and it more than exceeded my expectations. Their sound, though so new, held elements of the music that we used to love, and the relatability of us all now being full grown adults was just so comforting like we all grew together without missing a second. When I learn a new song, I listen to it on repeat until I know every single run, riff and instrument so well I could probably recite it backwards. Sometimes I even overdose myself on the song so much I need a break from it. Not this album. And I’m not just saying it because it’s them. I could pick any song and listen to it on repeat for weeks on end and still feel the power of the music like when I listened to it for the first time. V is the album that never was, but they had it right with the lyrics “make it feel like the first time”, because that I can promise, they always do.
