Jonas Brothers and Arkells

I first saw the Jonas Brothers perform in 2009 at Nassau Coliseum on their World Tour. This was the peak of their career. They were the hearthrobs and swoons that reminded the mothers in the audience of the days when they hung up posters of the Beatles. The show in 2009 was one of their more glitzy performances with amazing pyrotechnics, the show was like a huge light show with the Jonas Brothers walking from end to end of their circular stage that truly allowed them to be in the center of the audience the entire time.
Since then I saw them perform three more times, twice at Jones Beach theater and once at PNC Bank Arts Center. My second Jonas Brothers concert was when their Camp Rock 2 Tour. This time, the cool effects came from the screens behind them rather than the lights and fire, but with Joe Jonas wearing some sort of Justin Bieber-like metallic ensemble, the show was good, but not raw like their shows had become last year.
Last year I saw them twice on their First TIme tour. Oddly enough, no album was released prior to the tour. They claimed they were using this tour to test out the songs (that never made an album since the band broke up this past October) I assume that financial reasons got in the way of cool effects, backup dancers, and glitzy costumes for the band of brothers since these concerts were as raw as the Jonas Brothers could get. This was the Jonas Brothers like I had never seen them before. The entire show was about the music and each time the brothers performed a new song the crowd got quiet rather than scream like they did back in 2009 and 2010. It was a moment where I realized that in addition to the brothers growing up, the fans were growing up too and the amphitheaters were filled with fans who had been there since day one. Going to the concerts felt like getting together with old friends as the crowds sang out hits from 2007 six years later. Fans who were once tweens and teens were now going off to college, getting jobs, getting married, and having kids like the oldest brother Kevin. Unfortunately the brothers broke up in October of 2013, just days before they were set to do another tour and months before a new album release. The brothers picked some of their new favorite songs and gifted it to their fan club members. Joe and Nick are both working on new music while Kevin is enjoying life as a father and a new business man, but when Nick and Joe release their new music and eventually set back out on tour, I recommend seeing them. The brothers from New Jersey really care about their fans, and now that their fans are older and more mature, so are their shows. Long live the days of shrieks so loud you went deaf before they graced the stage. Now, the shows are more intimate and the Jonas Brothers have come back down to Earth and I personally like them here.

Taking inspiration from their surroundings, Canadian indie rock five piece began the Arkells journey in 2006. Signing with independent label Dine Alone Records later that year, the band re-released their first EP ‘Deadlines’ in 2008 providing them with enough material to showcase in their hometown of Ontario, which was just the beginning of their relentless touring schedule. In 2008 they released their highly anticipated debut album ‘Jackson Square’ full of energy and soul, featuring the singles ‘Oh, the Boss Is Coming’ and ‘Ballad of Hugo Chavez’ and earned them a Juno Award for ‘New Band of the Year’.

The band secured a support slot for popular Canadian rock band Matt Mays & EL Torpedo tour which opened many doors for them including playing the half time show at their hometown football championship and better still being hand selected by rock super group Them Crooked Vultures, an honour in itself. In 2011, Arkells signed to major label Universal Music Canada and released their second album ‘Michigan Left’ which was nominated for the Juno Award for album of the year.

With their extensive touring schedule and having played with bands such as: The Maine, Billy Talent, The Postelles and Britsh Sea Power has assisted them in accumulating a vast array of fans. Having reached the level of success that they have, the Arkells are very much a band who thrive on the small intimate shows where they can play to their dedicated fan base and sell out secret shows within a matter of minutes. Playing a good mix of old and new tracks, the crowd sing and dance along emphatically as the band play with all their heart and soul apparent in the glow on each of their faces. With keyboard solos and covers thrown in, the band pull out all the stops.

Arkells have an infectious live energy and musical ingenuity which is mesmerising, there’s no doubt that you’ll fall in love with this band within the first ten seconds of them appearing on stage.