On Saturday night, a target audience gathered at Irvine's Verizon
Wireless Amphitheater that would set aflutter the heart of any marketer
worth his metrics. The joyful tribe of 15,000 tweens was bound by the
bright garb of Hot Topic, Abercrombie & Fitch and other mall
stores, and sparkly cellphones, the palm-sweaty medium for cryptic-cute
messages.Like avid ornithologists, these Hayleys and Ashleys had journeyed from
all over the Southland and beyond to catch the songs from their
favorite birds of a Disney-colored paradise, the Jonas Brothers,
three siblings from New Jersey whose trills enthrall young feminine
hearts more effectively than anything advertisers could dream.No matter what tough cultural equations may be at work, it was an easy
night for the amphitheater's security. When three girls galloped by,
excited by the first chords of opener Demi Lovato, a guard outfitted in
various gadgets said, "Ladies, no running please." They immediately
slowed down. Jonas pal Lovato wasn't the heartthrob of the hour, but she was greeted
with obedient enthusiasm. Her winsome smile broadcasted hard-won
confidence during the summer's smash, "Who Will I Be," and her brown
eyes communicated pain when she sang about heartbreak. Her spiky bangs
were wet with sweat, her cheeks flush, but she never took off her
little red jacket.The brothers took the stage after a 20-minute period in which the
screens that flanked the stage were filled with text messages sent from
the crowd ("I luv u Nick!") and ads including one for the band's
charity foundation, ChangeForTheChildren.org.
The pre-show entertainment was a good primer for the Jonas Brothers
experience -- part wholesome lust, part charitable awareness, all
commercially genuine.On a stage with two ramps that flickered with bursts of fire -- this is
the Burnin' Up Tour, after all -- Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas pumped out
sculpted rock 'n' roll. At its best, the Jonas Brothers' music has the
tangy bite of the Cars, but without an obvious eccentric like Ric
Ocasek, the band loses any real chance for edge or humor. SOURCE:LAT.COM