Concert review: A roundtrip ticket to our youth with the Jonas Brothers

They’ve come a long way since Camp Rock, but they still took us back for a visit.

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For a band that spent six years apart with no intention of reuniting, the Jonas Brothers sure seem to have it together nowadays.

The trio took their “Five albums, one night” tour to the Bell Centre on Friday and delivered on their promise, taking us through their many eras à la Taylor Swift to make sure there was a little something for everyone.

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They opened with a few lesser-known songs (at least by me) before diving into heartbreak anthem S.O.S. from their self-titled album (2007), sending fans into a frenzy, back to the trenches of our youth as we scream-sang along with its incredibly-cringey-yet-eternally-iconic lyrics: “Next time I see you, I’m giving you a high five, cause hugs are overrated, just FYI.”

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That’s when the show truly took off.

There were few lulls, but it was mainly the older songs — Hold On, Year 3000, Burnin’ Up (!), Love Bug, for example — that elicited the loudest reactions from the crowd throughout the three-hour show, a sign I was among comrades. We were here before. We are here now. We welcome new recruits, but they will never truly understand how deep our love for Kevin, Nick and Joe extends: Back to Camp Rock; to Jonas, and later, Jonas L.A.; to the bonus Jonas; the romances with our favourite Disney Channel ladies, through whom we lived vicariously; to the heartbreak over breakups (romantic and professional); to the solo projects; and finally, the reunion and with it, the new music.

When Nick performed A Little Big Longer, the title-track of the band’s third album (2008) and a ballad about his struggle with Type 1 diabetes, I leaned over the woman next to me — a stranger — and whispered: “Remember when we all thought we were going to lose him?” referencing our collective grief over a disease none of us understood at the time, afflicting a man who may have been the subject of one of our first parasocial relationships. “Yeah, diabetes was going to get him?” she answered without missing a beat.

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We later made eye contact when Joe sang “Now I’m cool with superstars and all the tears on her guitar” (as opposed to original lyric “done with superstars”) in Much Better, a song about his public breakup with Swift, with whom he’s now friends. “THE PARALLELS!” I yelled to the wonderful stranger beside me. We made loose plans to meet up at the Eras Tour in Toronto in 2024. I’d bring the other 20,000 people in the arena along with us if I could.

Keenly aware of this unique relationship with fans, the Jo Bros performed Gotta Find You and Introducing Me from the Camp Rock movies, resurrecting our youths once again for good measure. The latter is a ridiculous tune Nick’s character sings to his love interest in the second film, the kind that gets stuck in your head and generally has no business being on any setlist to be taken seriously. Yet we sang along to every word, hand over heart like it was the damn national anthem.

They also seemed to play every song requested by fans via poster, including Little Bird — an ode to their children — for a woman’s late father. “We love you,” Joe told her.

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The Jonas Brothers perform on stage in Montreal
Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas perform at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Friday. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Riddled with trust issues from the Jonas Brothers’ breakup in 2013, I was a little worried “Five albums, one night” would feel like a goodbye tour. Instead, it felt like proof these three siblings from a small town in New Jersey were destined to grace the world with their talent and unrelenting charisma — confirmed by the sheer amount of swooning that occurred on Friday (present company included).

I was reminded of how unique both Nick and Joe’s voices are, and the extent of their vocal range, especially on newer songs from their Happiness Begins album (2019). For reasons beyond my comprehension, they got a lot of flak in their early days, but it was true then and it’s true now: they’re gifted (though, judging by how packed the arena was, they no longer need me to tell people that).

The brothers assumed their standard roles for most of the show, venturing back and forth between the main and B stage: Joe, ever the showoff, sang straight into cameras and flung his mic stand around like a twirling baton, while Nick, ever the stoic, spent a little more time focusing on his delivery. Kevin (my dear, sweet Kevin) ran around the stage as he played the guitar, flanking his little brothers.

If it weren’t for the better seats and fine-tuned talent, I would have thought I’d been flung back in time to the last time I saw them at the Bell Centre as a teenager.

Joe Jonas on stage in Montreal
Joe Jonas performs with his brothers at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Friday. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

They took a quick intermission mid show to regroup and change outfits, but brought as much energy to the second half as they did the first, and the crowd followed suit. We were treated to side projects Jealous (Nick) and Cake by the Ocean (Joe) and recent bop Sucker, the highlights of the second half.

Together, we the crowd, and Kevin, Nick, and Joe revisited the bonds we formed during our youths, a decade and a half after it all began, as adults. “Come back to me, baby, I’ll come back to you,” they sang. 

Under a shower of confetti, the brothers closed with (gotta) Leave Before You Love Me — an ironic choice given that they are about 15 years too late.

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