Jonas Brothers in overdrive
CONCERT REVIEW | Teen favorites continue to relish their time in spotlight
The Jonas Brothers -- the greatest exports of Wyckoff, N.J., since Tara Reid -- steamrolled Sunday night into Tinley Park, filling every square inch of the Midwest Bank Amphitheatre with the relentless shrieks and screams of feverish young ladies.
Oh, the shrieks. They began long before any of the Jonas Brothers -- Nick, Kevin and Joe -- stepped onstage. Projected onto jumbo screens on either side of the stage between opening act Demi Lovato and the Jobros were text messages from concertgoers.
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"Nick J is off the chain," read one. "Bark if you love Jobros," read another. And still another beckoned the crowd, which consisted mainly of girls ranging in age from approximately 12 to 17 years old, "Scream if this is the best night of your life." And scream they did.
Just as women of certain generations proudly boast they saw New Kids on the Block 20 years ago or 'N Sync 10 years ago, this sold-out obsess fest will undoubtedly become an indelible memory for the droves of tweens and teens in attendance.
It doesn't matter whether the trio was musically tight (which it was, most of the time) or if it had a subpar outing. The brothers could have walked onstage with kazoos, a washtub bass and a set of spoons, and as long as their purity rings were prominently displayed (which they were), the enthusiasm would have been as fervent.
That the boys actually have some musical chops was entirely an afterthought for many of the fans. Most tend to be more concerned with minutiae: What kind of toppings do the brothers like on their pizza? Whom are they dating? What brand of cologne do they wear? You know ... the important stuff.
As Paul Simon once sang, "Every generation throws a hero up the pop chart." In the Jonas Brothers, teens have three heroes.
Nick, 15, who is often credited as being the brains of the organization, looked bored and bothered with the task of being adored Sunday night. During "A Little Bit Longer," a song about being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, he broke down in tears, effectively playing the sympathy card in front of 30,000 very concerned fans. Joe, 19, was the most engaging of the brothers and tended to carry the show. Kevin, 20, was energetic but often lost on stage amid the 12-piece band and pyrotechnics.
When it comes to teen heartthrobs like the Jonas Brothers, history tells us that these heroes inevitably will fall from that pop chart at some point. Those who fail to recapture their fleeting (albeit ferocious) fame far outnumber those who do.
Justin Timberlake, the break-out star of 'N Sync, continues to find post teeny-bopper success by supplementing his multiplatinum solo music career with memorable stints on "Saturday Night Live" and a few movie roles.
Others haven't fared so well. Michael Jackson of the Jackson Five indulged in plastic surgery and was slapped with molestation charges. And Danny Bonaduce of the Partridge Family found heavy drugs. Whether the Jonas Brothers possess the self-awareness required to parlay their fleeting popularity to a level on par with Timberlake will be reason to continue to tune in. But until then, they remain the type of floppy-haired phenomenon that only a mother could understand and a father could merely roll his eyes at.
Yet for those thousands of shrieking fans to whom the Jonas Brothers pander, it was, indeed, the best night of their lives.