No matter how much the Jonas Brothers try, they can’t totally escape the mouse. Commercials for new Disney TV shows flashed up onscreen not long before the siblings took to the stage, and although the trio’s days of appearing in such fare are long gone, it offered a brief reminder of where they began. Ironically though, this was a forward thinking pop show that worked best when focused on the future, rather than indulging in nostalgia.
It was also a performance that spared no expense. If the trappings were familiar, from the group appearing on a platform being lowered from the ceiling before the opening bounce of “Rollercoaster” to flames rocketing up during Burning Up and various explosions of confetti and pyro, then it unfolded in such a smooth manner that it was hard not to be impressed.
However the greatest strength of the night lay in the new material. Comeback album Happiness Begins is an accomplished run-through of modern pop, and the sleek synths of “Strangers”, the cheerful ska flavoured “Only Human” and the night’s set closer, the pop banger “Sucker” all thoroughly deserved the mass hysteria they were greeted with, from both teenagers and those who were teens during the band’s initial heyday.
There was also the effective stomp of “What A Man Gotta Do”, which showed that no matter how many years pass, there is still something powerful about the old Bo Diddley beat, on which this tune motored along nicely.
Deafening screaming also greeted the cuts from their early days, and this was rather more generous. A quickfire mega mix of their pop punk near the end of the night was the best usage of those songs, because when they actually delivered full versions of the flimsy “Just The Way We Roll” or their Busted cover, “Year 3000” then they sounded hopelessly dated, particularly compared to Nick Jonas’s own "Jealous", a piece of pop gold that slinked into view mid-set. Dipping into the trio’s other projects also meant the partying vibe of “Cake By The Ocean” arrived too, performed in suitably upbeat fashion.
These newer songs possessed more life than the majority of older tunes, which sated nostalgia but rarely offered little else, with the soppy “When You Look Me In The Eyes” a tune that would certainly not sound out of place on an afternoon TV movie that lacked the finances to be soundtracked by something memorable.
The brothers themselves looked in good spirits and were high energy throughout, albeit with a manner that kept any real personality mostly hidden underneath asking the audience if they were having a good time and various videos that suggested the band meeting their younger selves, to amusingly portentous effect. It was like having three shades of beige to choose from, and, like plenty of pop showcases, it was performed so slickly that there was no room for any deviation in the slightest. Yet despite that, this was still arena entertainment that satisfied, while also offering optimism for the future.
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