April showers have been said to bring May flowers, but on Friday night they brought the Jonas Brothers to a packed and soggy Baltimore Soundstage. Braving the weather, the line for this sold-out surprise show by the Jonas Brothers — who have been selling out arenas around the world — wrapped around the block (and then some).
But once inside, that forecast changed in a heartbeat as fans quickly packed the dance floor, several showing off hand-made signs for this special event.
In a special surprise move, the Jonas Brothers announced the intimate show at Baltimore Soundstage on April 28 only a week prior to the show date. There was an unrelenting buzz as to where and when it would go down. And being able to witness the Jonas Brothers in such a relatively small setting (capacity 1,000), it was clear this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
With no opening act, the Jonas Brothers hit the stage and immediately jumped into “SOS” from their debut record, and then without pause it was off to “Hold On” as the whole place sang along — sometimes even louder than the band! As Nick Jonas told the crowd, “So we decided just before the show to start with all the old stuff. Because ‘why the hell not?’ It’s Friday night in Baltimore!” And they proceeded to play a host of songs from their second self-titled record.
It must be said that energy that you witness on those big arena stages seemed to be magnified on this smaller club stage as Kevin, Joe, and Nick all took turns playing to the crowd, reaching out over the edge of the stage — traveling from one side to the next. It was exciting!
“We had a whole thing, but you know what,” Joe said as he picked up his setlist and tore it in two. “You guys showed up tonight, so we’re gonna go rogue.” He continued, “We decided before the album comes out, we’re gonna go see some places we haven’t seen so obviously Baltimore was on the list.” Nick added, “And your Orioles are playin’ pretty well too! I mean, Baltimore’s doin’ okay!”
It wasn’t until several songs into the set that the brothers played something from the newer set of albums with “Only Human,” one of the singles from the 2019 album Happiness Begins and the band’s most recent release. But those new songs, some of which were from the yet-to-be-released The Album (due May 12), sounded just as great as anything the Jonas Brothers have released. Many of these songs carried a dance groove but with some ’80s pop thrown in for good measure — especially the number “Sail Away,” which the audience ate up with the brothers harmonizing over a cool synth line.
And there was the new single, “Waffle House,” that became featured on The Tonight Show recently, which was a sight to behold when everyone in the place sang every word.
Watch the official music video for “Waffle House” by the Jonas Brothers on YouTube:
After a brief unexpected pause due to some sound issues, Nick Jonas joined the rest of the band for his song “Bacon,” adding during the song, “You all rocked too hard at the Waffle House and broke the sound system, so wear that as a badge of honor.” The crowd laughed and screamed. But the break brought out a few other numbers from Joe Jonas via DNCE, the band that Joe Jonas formed with JinJoo Lee (guitar) and Jack Lawless (drums) — who played with the Jonas Brothers tonight — including “Dancing Feet,” a disco strum that had everyone jumping.
“I’ve gotta say, so far this has gotta be one of my favorite shows,” Joe told the crowd. And I can attest, as someone standing in the midst of the crowd this night, that feeling was mutual. ***This was an incredible night.***
One of the highlights of the concert was when Joe saw someone holding up a sign with requests on it labeled 1, 2, and 3 with the crowd voting on which selection to uncover first. According to Nick, after peeling back one sticky note revealing “Five More Minutes,” it was the first time the Jonas Brothers ever played the song live.
The Jonas Brothers delivered one of those performances that you hope for with “Year 3000.” Everyone sang along and jumped up and down. Soon, each Jonas brother called out to the crowd, and the band returned to the stage for an encore. In the encore, the brothers finished the show with “Leave Before You Love Me” and one of their biggest hits, “Sucker,” before ending an unforgettable night.
With a couple more appearances before the release of their new album, The Album, the Jonas Brothers soon wrap up this brief tour.
The setlist included:
SOS
Hold On
Goodnight and Goodbye
That’s Just the Way We Roll
Still in Love With You
Only Human
What a Man Gotta Do
Summer Baby
Sail Away
Wings
Waffle House
Bacon
Dancing Feet
Jealous
Cake by the Ocean
I Believe
BB Good
Five More Minutes
Mercy
Lovebug
Year 3000 (Busted cover)
Burnin’ Up
Encore:
Leave Before You Love Me
Sucker
Here are more photos of The Jonas Brothers performing at the Baltimore Soundstage on April 28, 2023. All photos copyright and courtesy of Jes Sheldon.
