The Jonas Brothers fans were eager to be that girl that the band describes in ‘Burnin’ up’ (2008), between dresses and red shirts: “High heels, red dress, all by yourself, gotta catch my breath”. Before starting the concert, that fashion detail gave an indication of what the show would be like: nostalgic, frenetic and sensual. On April 19, 2024, thirteen years after their first visit to the country, the Jonas Brothers gave a two and a half hour concert that unleashed the public’s excitement.
The band began with a melodic presentation in which the musicians who accompany the trio on tour showed off their talents with instruments and voices. One of those who stood out the most was Jack Lawless, on drums, who leaned back and forth to the rhythm of the beat.
The screams were deafening, not suitable for anyone who suffers from otitis or headaches. They never turned down the volume; On the contrary: while the counter on the screens went down from 10 to 0, the ‘jonatics’ screamed louder.
When Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas took the stage, the thunderous screams of the audience mixed with the electric guitar. On the third floor, attendees raised yellow lights; in the second, blue, and in the audience, the fans raised red lights, forming together the flag of Colombia. In the background, A giant sign (it took up three stands long) said: “Thanks for coming back to us.”
Attendees at the Jonas Brothers concert, 2024. Movistar Arena, Bogotá.
Photo:Loren Buitrago. TIME.
The first songs were the most recent: ‘Celebrate!’ and ‘What a Man Gotta Do’. The floor shook a little to the rhythm of the jumps of the audience, who did not stop singing at any time. The band even allowed the attendees to take center stage by stopping singing to listen to them. As a gift, they smiled back. From then on the band began the journey through their discography: from 2005 to 2024.
Who’s ready to go back to 2007 right now?
Nick Jonas, the youngest of the band, raised his microphone and tripod while singing. When his back was turned to the audience, the bright blue flower on his jean jacket sparkled from the stage. The singer expressed: “Who’s ready to go back to 2007 right now?”, just before big hits like ‘SOS’ or ‘When You Look Me in the Eyes’ played. The Jonas Brothers had the challenge of summarizing five albums in two hours and, for that, they chose their most emblematic songs.
Jonas Brothers in concert
Photo:Valentina Ibarra
After approximately 40 minutes of the concert, the first chords of an acoustic guitar evoked screams from the audience saying: “finally! I love you Joe! I love you!” The era of ‘Camp Rock’ had begun, the Disney Channel movie that marked a large part of generation Z in which Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas acted as Connect 3 (playing Nate, Shane and Jason Gray, respectively) a pop band that used their free time to teach music and “rock out” at an isolated camp full of people who wanted to become musicians.
The songs chosen to represent this time were: ‘Gotta find you’ (Joe Jonas), ‘Introducing me’ (Nick Jonas) and ‘Play my music’ (all). In the last song the fans accompanied with clapping.
The energy of the concert never wavered: the audience began to wave the flags of Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia. For many it was the opportunity to fulfill a dream that when they were children, they could not.
Valentina Avendaño, a concert attendee, is part of that group of people, and said: “This was one of the best concerts of my life, I can’t believe I heard all those songs live.”
This was one of the best concerts of my life, I can’t believe I heard all those songs live.
Although they were songs released in the middle of the band’s separation (from 2013 to 2019), the ‘jonatics’ appreciated hearing them live because, as Natalia Pulido, one of the attendees, said, they “love everyone equally.” .
Attendees at the Jonas Brothers concert, 2024. Movistar Arena, Bogotá.
Photo:Loren Buitrago
The band had surprises that made the audience happy: they sang classics like ‘A little bit longer’, ‘Can’t have you’ and ‘Sorry’, which are not usually part of the official song list. The audience responded: during the ballads they raised their arms and flashlights to move them to the rhythm of the band, and in no song did they stop singing. Another favorite was ‘Lovebug’, which made the screams echo almost like at the beginning of the presentation.
The concert was coming to an end around 10:50 pm: Nick Jonas spoke in Spanish to thank Colombia, and said that the audience had been exceptional. They sang ‘Sucker’ and ‘Leave before you love me’ to close. And, from the floor of the stage, they collected three Colombian flags: one for each member of the band. They danced with them, waved them in the air and wore them as capes. They gave each other a hug between brothers and looked at the audience to salute. Then, the last thing the ‘jonatics’ saw were the three brothers running to the dressing room with the flags behind their backs.
They visited Colombia after thirteen years of absence, the nostalgic debt with their fans was settled. The band’s next stop is the city of Lima, in Peru.
LOREN SOFÍA BUITRAGO
SCHOOL OF MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM EL TIEMPO
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