Most touring acts have an opening band. Nick Jonas had an empty stage. On the second night of three shows in New York City, the former Jonas Brother and burgeoning solo pop artist in his own right eschewed the traditional supporting act for an extended waiting period... In other words, he was late.
Like, really late.
Tickets for Jonas' show at The Music Hall of Williamsburg stated that doors opened at 7 p.m., and it's logical to assume that the show would begin roughly an hour later, at 8. But, the 21-year-old singer didn't show up on stage until 9:23 p.m.
Though the sold-out crowd of mostly 20-something women grew antsier and antsier as the minutes and eventually hour passed by. They half-heartedly tried to start "Jonas! Jonas!" chants and even screamed along to Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" to give him a little passive-aggressive message. Despite the waiting time, that didn't really matter the second Jonas and his backing band actually hit the stage.
Then pandemonium erupted.
Playing to the Williamsburg crowd by entering to Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," Jonas dived right into the music, not even introducing himself or the band before performing the first track from his forthcoming self-titled solo album.
The energy in the room could maybe be best described as excited and electric but mildly hesistant. Despite the industrial R&B pop flare to Jonas' music, there wasn't a lot of dancing in Williamsburg last night. Instead, there were small movements from the packed crowd and, of course, hundreds of iPhones in the air. There was also a noted sexual energy, as the muscled heartthrob grinded on his microphone, to the women's delight.
Seeing @nickjonas at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Check out our review tomorrow! #nickjonas
A photo posted by Music Times (@themusictimes) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:39pm PST
Though Jonas rose to fame because of his trio with his brothers, Joe and Kevin, there was nary a Jonas Brothers song on the setlist. Jonas' only throwback moment to his own resume during his Williamsburg show consisted of roughly 40 seconds of his Nick Jonas & The Administration track "Who I Am." Mostly, the youngest Jonas singer stuck almost to his record Nick Jonas, which will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Highlights from his own new discography consisted almost solely of his already-released track. Jonas' falsetto was particularly impressive on "Numb." As he pumped his arms to the beat and patted his heart with feeling, Jonas hit the song's high notes with incredible ease, sounding not unlike the version on record. He also sizzled on "Push," "Teacher" and "Chains," and the audience matched his enthusiasm right back, singing along to songs that haven't even technically been released yet.
Nick Jonas bringing it for #chains. A video posted by athousandmph (@athousandmph) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:02pm PST
He threw in a few covers as well, working in Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" and even Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" seamlessly into his own music. His "Crazy" cover in particular gelled with his own music, bringing out a previously unheard R&B flare to his music.
Jonas was mostly business on stage. Though it was clear that he was having a good time, he rarely took a break in between songs for stage banter. An impromptu birthday party for his band member Jess and an address about his new album being "my heart, my soul and my music" were the sole breaks between songs. All that means that the show went by incredibly quickly.
Despite an 80 minute wait for the show, Jonas only played for a cool hour, but not before bringing out a special guest.
Yesterday, Jonas and rising R&B star Tinashe released a remix of his hit "Jealous," and after premiering the song on 106 & Park, it should have been pretty obvious that the two were going to team up for a live rendition. Wearing a tan jumpsuit, Tinashe played perfectly off of Jonas on her "Jealous" verse, dancing gleefully all the while.
Of course Nick Jonas brings out Tinashe for #jealous A video posted by athousandmph (@athousandmph) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:18pm PST
And, then, with no encore, it was all over. Just like that. The excitement of a Jonas concert came and went with a burst of excitement in between.
