by Raj Rudolph
It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday in the UK, we finally got to celebrate the release of Nick Jonas’ self-titled album at the O2 Islington Academy in London with a special concert for the fans who pre-ordered the album. Nick Jonas even had a beer on-stage to celebrate this somewhat belated occasion.
Let’s just set the record straight. I’ve never been a Jonas Brothers fan. That whole Disney, Hannah Montana era was really quite off-demographic for me. Just at the point when I thought I might start to become a Jonas Brothers fan two years ago with “Pom Poms”, I was rewarded with the band split. Ho Hum. But then Joe Jonas released “Just In Love” and I thought, ok, maybe I’m still Team Jonas. But that project didn’t go very far either. Hmmm. But then, 11 months ago, Nick Jonas released “Chains” and something finally clicked. With “Jealous” I was hooked. Nick Jonas released the perfect pop-song. Infectious, honest, clever and best of all, something Prince himself would probably nod at in approval under his paisley-rimmed, thick black sunglasses.
Nick Jonas’ album quickly started to receive critical acclaim and upon multiple listens myself, it was clear why the album ended up at the number one spot of our 2014 Top Albums chart. With incredible songs like “Warning”, “Take Over”, “Nothing Would Be Better” and “Push” invading my daily psyche, there was only one man I wanted to see live in concert this year and that was Nick Jonas. Last night I got my wish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUkdsrbJFpM
So what happened? Well, the show as just about an hour long and was incredibly uncomplicated. Nick came out and effortlessly drove the crowd of boys and girls into a frenzy with his smash hits. What was noticeable was just how angelic his voice transcends in the live environment. He’s a perfect falsetto. Something that you may have not noticed under all those newly formed muscles and cheeky-cowl. And going back to that Prince comparison earlier, Nick strapped on a guitar and did an acoustic version of “I Would Die 4 U” that was utterly singleworthy. I swooned. It was quite funny to look across the crowd of young girls who were Shazaming the song and ending up frustrated getting served wikis about Prince. Actually that made me feel a bit old, but it goes to show you that Nick Jonas paid attention in Pop Music 101. Respect.
One of the funnest bits of the evening was when Nick took us way back to 2003 and did a smooth, playful version of “Roses” by Outkast. Believe me, I’d rather watch Nick Jonas sing about a chic whose shit don’t stank rather than see Miley Cyrus sadly singing to her audience about licking her under-carriage via a Khia cover song. Don’t get me wrong, I love “My Neck, My Back”, but sometimes I wonder what that girl is thinking in-between her bursts of brilliance. But I digress…
All-in-all, the evening was quite enjoyable. The crowd was amazingly polite and somewhat entertaining, especially when we got to witness the occasional fan girl freak out. Chuckleworthy. Island Records really should feel proud of their work with Nick Jonas. He’s leading the way right now in the male pop genre and although some people may doubt his queer-baiting intentions, all that shit needs to be thrown away and broken down to pop music that is simply brilliant, enjoyable and true.
I would ask that you don’t judge me for being a Nick Jonas fan, but really, I don’t care what you think.
You’re the one missing out.
I’m not ashamed.
Don’t tell anybody.