Jonas Brothers on “Greetings from Your Hometown Tour” in Milwaukee

Cover Photo By: Dan Garcia W/ On Milwaukee 

The Jonas Brothers are currently celebrating 20 years and touring all over. Different openers featured per leg of the runs, and if you’re lucky enough, they may even bring a special guest out at your show! Milwaukee definitely won the lottery for how amazing the show was. I unfortunately missed the performance of Frankie Jonas while waiting in line for merch.

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His set started at 7:15 pm, which the tickets stated 7:30 pm start time, so it wasn’t my fault. Either way, from what I could hear, he was having a great time, and from the TikToks I’ve seen, it looks like he put on an amazing set for those who were in the room. He climbed all over the seats and walked the rows, giving a very up close experience. A little bummed I missed out on seeing something that cool, but oh well. His set was short, so by the time I made it to my seat, he was done, and The All-American Rejects were starting to play.

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I LOVE The All-American Rejects (AAR), and my choice to attend the show was heavily influenced by being able to see them perform again. I was high up in the nosebleed section, and the energy was not there during their set. People only stood up during their more commonly known songs, and I was hoping there would have been more excitement. I loved their set, but was slightly disappointed in not hearing more of my favorite songs played. Regardless, AAR brings chaos to the stage, and frontman vocalist Tyson Ritter knows how to just own the space he plays, regardless of the crowd.

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Not too long after AAR finished, about thirty-ish minutes to be exact. The lights dimmed, an intro video played across all the screens, and from behind the stage, I could see them. They entered from under the stage with wisps of smoke surrounding them, and everyone in the room was screaming. The entire two-hour show was nothing short of theatrics, crowd interactions, and fun surprise solo acts from each of the Jonas Brothers. They let the audience choose a song to be performed, and Joe mentioned that there was no “list” that they expected fans to follow; in fact, they never knew who would pick what song to be played. They just did it, and dreams were exceeded as one requested a song from one of their former Disney TV shows. Despite it being an older and not really played song, we got to hear a bit of “Things Will Never Be The Same” as featured in the spin-off series, Jonas L.A. Joe, Kevin, and Nick were even all given a chance where the stage was theirs alone to play whatever songs they wanted throughout the night.

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Each song was paired with videos, sparklers, smoke, and more! Their backup band and dancers were there to ensure the crowd stayed excited while performing alongside this trio of brothers. They were fun to watch as everyone knew what to do and when. I imagine so much rehearsal time is making sure they’re all in sync together. About two-thirds of the way through their set, they announced it was time to bring a special guest on stage. The guest(s) ended up being Ryan Key and Josh Portman from Yellowcard. They performed the fan favorite track, "Ocean Avenue,” with support from the Jonas Brothers; it was so surreal. I lost my mind when they announced it. I couldn’t believe or imagine a crossover that could have even been more iconic, maybe.

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 Another special guest awaited us during their single, “Burnin’ Up,” as Big Rob came out to deliver a powerful moment for his feature in the track. It was very much a night of nostalgia for me. I grew up with Disney stars like the Jonas Brothers and continue to love seeing them perform. But I run more with the pop punk crowd these days, so getting a guest like Yellowcard was a complete circle for me.

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Their final song in the encore of the night was “When You Look Me In The Eyes,” which was a sweet moment as they brought out Frankie and Kevin Senior Jonas to help close out the night. There was not a dry eye in that crowd, I tell you. The whole family on stage performing together, this was the perfect ending. The three of them walked that catwalk one final time, just as the confetti cannons exploded, showering the crowd below. Beautiful. No notes.