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MANILA, Philippines – The stage was burnin’ up at the Mall of Asia Arena as the Jonas Brothers treated fans to performances of their top hits from their five studio albums on Thursday, February 22.
For the first time since their last visit in 2012, Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas returned to the Philippines for their worldwide tour The Tour, which celebrates their five albums – self-titled debut record Jonas Brothers, sophomore album A Little Bit Longer, their last studio album Lines, Vines and Trying Times before the announcement of their hiatus in 2013, the comeback record Happiness Begins from 2019, and their latest release The Album.
Organized by Ovation Productions, the concert in Manila opened the international tour for the band of brothers in 2024 as it was the first stop of the year.
It was 8:38 pm when the lights dimmed, the backing band settled into their spots with their instruments, and the show finally began. Alongside everyone else at the arena, making sure not to miss a moment, I held my phone up high to record as the Jonas Brothers took center stage and set off with a performance of “What a Man Gotta Do.”
Like any other concert, the show started later than the scheduled kick-off at 8 pm. Even if I have been a fan of theirs since the first Camp Rock movie came out in 2008, this was my first time watching the Jonas Brothers live. Admittedly, with all my excitement, I was getting a little impatient, but once I saw Joe, Nick, and Kevin enter the stage, the wait didn’t seem so long anymore.
They immediately followed their opening number with their 2007 hit single “S.O.S.” The crowd’s energy was nothing like anything I’ve experienced before. I could barely hear myself singing with everyone else extremely ecstatic over this performance, but who could blame them? It was a childhood anthem.
Before the JoBros played “Hold On” and “Goodnight and Goodbye,” Nick told us that they would try to perform as many songs from their discography as they could.
“It’s so good to be back!” he said. “We’re here to celebrate five albums!”
The brothers then took their places on the catwalk to sing “That’s Just the Way We Roll” with Joe hyping up the crowd.
“Sing it out!” he yelled the first time, and as if not satisfied enough with the volume of our screams (and trust me, we were belting our hearts out), he exclaimed once more, “I said ‘sing!’” and the crowd went wild.
They continued on to the next round of songs from their first album, starting out with “Still In Love With You,” followed by “Australia,” “Hollywood,” “Just Friends,” and “Games.”
Pausing the performances for a bit, the former Disney stars shared their experiences riding jeepneys and exploring Manila.
“[We] did some exploring, had some great food,” Joe shared.
“We have to come back sooner,” he continued, and I really hope they do! While the atmosphere was nothing short of crazy and loud, it felt so comforting to share this moment with my childhood idols.
They also fondly recalled hearing “When You Look Me in the Eyes” – one of their most well-loved songs – being played by a pianist in their hotel lobby earlier that day. Joe even pointed out to a fan in the crowd, asking if it had been them on the piano playing the tune, before launching into a soulful rendition of the song. A sea of yellow and blue lights also shone from the crowd during the performance as part of a fan project by Filipino Jonatics, elevating the intimate atmosphere the song naturally created.
Ushering in a new wave of excitement, the Jonas Brothers then proceeded to play “Year 3000.” I thought that the crowd couldn’t get any louder than when “S.O.S.” was performed, but I was so wrong. This song had everyone singing, screaming, dancing, and jumping! It may have just been the rush of energy I felt in that moment, but I think I felt the ground shaking a little.
They followed this up with charming performances of “Summer Baby” and “Vacation Eyes” that left me feeling all kinds of kilig, mostly because Joe took his sweet time singing on the catwalk, right in front of where I was standing.
My favorite part of the concert was when the soundtracks of the Disney film series Camp Rock were played. Joe started out with “Gotta Find You” from the first movie, followed by Nick with “Introducing Me” from the sequel. All three brothers then jammed out with the fans to “Play My Music.”
I grew up watching this film series so the nostalgia I felt was extreme. I also couldn’t believe I was hearing these songs live, and not to mention, singing along with Joe, Nick, and Kevin.
The Camp Rock setlist was cut short by a medley of electric tracks from their sophomore album, including “BB Good,” “Shelf,” “Got Me Going Crazy,” “Video Girl,” “One Man Show,” “Pushin’ Me Away,” and “Tonight.”
They also performed their romantic, pop ballad “Lovebug” and “Burnin’ Up,” the lead single from their third album. Both of which left fans – including myself – speechless, over the edge, and just breathless!
Back at the catwalk, the Jonas Brothers performed newest hits “Waffle House” and “Montana Sky” from their latest album. Personally, I think these two songs set the tone for their newer music: more mature yet still playful and fun!
Still with a lot of energy, Nick introduced the next part of the concert as an ode to their third studio album. “This is Lines, Vines and Trying Times,” he announced, and they launched into singing “Fly With Me,” “Hey Baby,” “Poison Ivy,” “World War III,” “Don’t Speak,” and “What Did I Do to Your Heart,” taking turns going to each corner of the stage.
When they performed “Much Better,” Joe switched up a few lyrics to “Everything I’d ever need is right here in Manila with me” which had everyone erupting in cheers.
Mr. Perfectly Fine especially seemed to be having a blast at the concert, even taking a fan’s camera to take pictures of Nick and Kevin while they were performing “Paranoid.”
Joe followed his younger brother’s suave solo performance of hit single “Jealous” by showing off his dance moves to a rendition of “Cake by the Ocean” originally sung by his former band, DNCE. What made the production even better was the fact that he was joined by DNCE bandmate JinJoo Lee, who plays the guitar for them on tour.
Giving the fans a chance to catch their breath with a more laid-back and mellow tune, the Jonas Brothers went back to their spots on the main stage and sang “Walls” before diving into tracks from their fourth album, Happiness Begins.
They rocked out to famous hits “Sucker,” and “Cool,” as well as “Come Back,” “Rollercoaster,” “Strangers,” and “I Believe.” They even prepared a short but cute choreography for the chorus of “Only Human,” and concluded their performances with a fun yet relaxed version of “Leave Before You Love Me.”
After waving goodbye to fans, and with “Remember This” being played by their backing band, the Jonas Brothers took their final bows together at the catwalk and wrapped up the night.
This is definitely a show that I’ll never forget, and I think the final song’s lyrics couldn’t have summed it up any better: “Baby, we’re gonna wanna remember this.”
The Jonas Brothers first performed in the Philippines in 2012. They announced their hiatus in 2013 and confirmed their reunion six years later in 2019. – Rappler.com
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