Jonas Brothers and Fans Raise the Roof in Denver

DENVER – As the Jonas Brothers took on “Gotta Find You” (one of the teen sensations’ many earnest love ballads) halfway through their Pepsi Center concert Wednesday night, frontman Joe Jonas led his brothers to a satellite stage.

That platform then rose 20 feet into the air and, for three or four minutes, the famous JoBros were that much closer to their adoring fans in the cheap seats.

Toward the end of the song, Joe gave the lead vocals to the audience. It was a flawless handoff – one that saw the pitch jump a full octave as thousands of preteen girls took over the singing duties.

Earplugs were in fierce demand Wednesday night, as young girls have a way of praising their idols with a screech that is slightly lower in tone than that of a dog whistle. The glow sticks, camera phones and “I (heart) Nick” signs were plentiful as the brothers (and their 10-piece band) threw down a 90-minute set of music that alternated between immature kiddie pop and more thoughtful power pop.
That’s right, the Jonas Brothers are trying to grow up.

The day before they played the sold- out Pepsi Center, they learned that their brand-new record, “Lines, Vines and Trying Times,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. In its first week of release, the CD sold nearly 250,000 copies – an especially impressive feat given that their previous full-length, “A Little Bit Longer,” occupied the same spot on the chart less than a year ago when it was released.

The group opened its set with a groove-rooted “Paranoid,” a song that defines the preteen spirit in 2009. “That’s Just the Way We Roll,” an “oldie” from 2007’s eponymous full-length, had the brothers using the rotating center of their in-the-round stage to their advantage. As Kevin and Joe ran the length of the stages, Nick stood stoic and strong on the rotating circle.

They brought out a four-piece horn section for the new “Poison Ivy” and moved directly into the pogo-pop of “Hold On.” Later on, Nick played a miniature solo set on a white baby grand piano.

“Before I came here, I was in Washington, D.C.,” Nick told his attentive fans, mid-song. “I was there to encourage them to contribute to what’s called a special diabetes program. . . . I’ve always said I’m not going to let this (diabetes) slow me down. Yesterday, I met the president and we found out we got our second No. 1 record. You tell me, Denver. Has it slowed me down?”

His story is one that connects with kids and parents. In the live show, Nick is the multi-instrumentalist hero, while Joe simply has the best voice of the bunch and Kevin is the good-natured-yet-often-ignored guy.

There were plenty of crowd-pleasers: “Much Better” hinted at a more mature songwriting process. “Year 3000″ was a reminder of the boy band’s Disneyrific past. The group threw props to the moms in the crowd with a teeny Neil Diamond cover, “Sweet Caroline.”

It was just like a Kiss concert – completely choreographed, awesomely hilarious and fabulously over-the-top.


Source: 9 News
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