Rockin bros #151; the Jonas Brothers
February 9th, 2008, 3:05 am Hobbies Ideas
When the Jonas Brothers hit the E Center stage tonight, there will be a lot of happy people.
Not only will the fans of the nearly sold-out concert be screaming for Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, but the three teen idols are almost as excited to play as the fans are to see them.
“The stage is unbelievable,” said Joe Jonas during a music-critic teleconference two weeks ago. “We showed up for rehearsal the other day to see what the stage is like, and we freaked out.”
“This is actually the first time we have some type of production,” Kevin Jonas said. “There will be more than just three risers.”
While the production is a big part of the show, the band also focuses on the music, Nick Jonas said.
“(We) want to introduce new styles of songs and different types of music into our performance,” he said. “So you might hear something and not recognize it right away, but then, all of a sudden, realize that it’s a song we’ve been playing for five years now. We really wanted that for our fans and wanted that for the show.
“We’re playing a lot of songs,” said Nick. “I have to remember a lot of lyrics. I’ve been studying and getting them into my memory. And we’re also doing a cover of (A-ha’s) ‘Take on Me.’”
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The boys are also playing an excerpt from an Elvis Costello number “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea.”
“We’re excited about this because it leads into this awesome amazing drum intro and I’m very excited to be able to put that into our show,” Kevin said.
It’s no secret that the Jonas Brothers have a lot of musical influences. The three grew up in New Jersey, the home of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli and Whitney Houston, to name a few. The brothers have also cited Prince and the Beatles as their main musical influence, as well. And while the Jonas Brothers’ fan base consists of young teens, the Jonas Brothers feel it’s important to educate their younger fans regarding timeless rock music.
“We think it’s really cool to be able to introduce rock ‘n’ roll to younger fans,” said Nick. “And, you know, the parents get into it because (our songs) do sound like the things they used to listen to when they were young. We try to write songs like the great music we listened to.”
In addition to reworkings of older songs and adding covers, the trio said they would perform four new songs from the yet-untitled album to be released this year.
“One song I wrote about my diabetes called ‘A Little Bit Longer,”‘ said Nick. “(The others) are called ‘Don’t Take My Heart and Put It on the Shelf,’ ‘Pushing Me Away’ and ‘Burning Up.’”
The new album was recorded on the Gibson Tour Bus.
“It was pretty incredible,” Joe said. “They retrofitted the tour bus to make it a studio. There was a grand piano there.”
“There were amps everywhere and you’d think it would be really hard because you’re on the road, it was, but a lot of fun,” Kevin said.
“We set up the ideas for the songs for drums and guitar and vocals and (recorded them),” said Nick. “Then we went into another studio and finished the songs.”
Balancing recording, touring and family has become a challenge in the past few months, thanks to the brothers’ growing popularity. But nothing really prepared them for what fans’ family members would do to get the group’s attention.
“Moms are sometimes the craziest because they know they want to get their daughters to be seen by us or get an autograph,” said Kevin. “We’ve seen moms jump in front of the tour bus or try to get backstage. When we were on vacation in the Bahamas and having a family dinner our mom was at dinner with us the manager of the restaurant came to us and said that a lady at the front desk was saying she was our mother and wanted to come surprise us and say hi.”
If you go …
What: Jonas Brothers, Rooney
Where: E Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive
When: Today, 7 p.m.
How much: $36.50-$46.50
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
Tags: amp, family members, memory, mom, nfl, parentsRelated posts
