To see the Jonas Brothers and their shrinking (but still vocal) fan base on Thursday night at the Molson Amphitheatre was to witness what might just be music’s youngest nostalgia act.
Nick, Joe and Kevin performed to a shrieking horde of just under 6,000 fans (many holding Groupon tickets), a far cry from the 15,000 that would have flocked to see them live in the past, and a musical stratosphere away from the respective back-to-back ACC sellouts of One Direction (who played earlier this month) and Justin Bieber (who plays next week).
Even the fans in attendance, now predominantly into their late teens and moving quickly out of their boy band phase, seemed rather sheepish and self conscious about being there. Upon entering the venue, multiple fans were quick to note that they had either been dragged to the show by a friend, or were there for a “blast from the past.”
The Jonas Brothers were more than willing to offer up some half-decade nostalgia. They warbled through a catalogue of past hits with a pitchy, range-lacking sound that probably suffered from a combination of the boys’ declining vocal chords and an idealized recollection of what their voices previously sounded like. That being said, I suppose that some credit is due to the band for sustaining an energized hour-and-a-half set that kept fans firmly in the not-too-distant past.
Those who got to the venue early were treated to the night’s best music in the form of the opening act, talented pop duo Karmin. An engaging and musically skilled pair with the same squeaky-clean rep as their touring cohorts, Karmin won the crowd over with an uptempo 45-minute set that was capped off by their hit, “Brokenhearted.”
Looking at the current direction of both acts, its not hard to envision a near future in which the brothers may be returning the favour by opening for Karmin one day.