I feel remiss in the fact that I never completed my review of the Jonas Brothers concerts that took place at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre just after Thanksgiving. However, anytime seems like a good time to discuss the former Disney darlings doesn’t it? Before I pontificate on the merits and possibly demerits of the Jonas Brothers, let me disclose that one of the many, many hats I wear in life is that of a parent to a nearly twelve-year-old daughter who adores the Jonas Brothers.  So while I have covered their events in the past as a member of the media, I am pretty much always looking at them from a dual perspective – photographing and/or reviewing their live performances or latest CD while simultaneously watching the experience through the eyes of my daughter.

Let’s get down to business then, the Jonas Brothers are back! It’s been more than three years since their last studio album, 2009’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times. The Brothers have been hard at work in the studio on their as yet untitled fifth studio album scheduled for release in early 2013. Individually the brothers have been busy during the past 3 years with Nick releasing his solo effort, Who I Am as Nick Jonas and the Administration, testing out the waters in the theater world with performances in Les Misérables, Hairspray and Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Joe Jonas  released his solo effort, Fastlife. Both brothers did some touring with their solo releases while older brother Kevin got married to longtime girlfriend Danielle Deleasa and enjoyed life with his new bride. Eventually they brought their newlywed adventures to a TV screen near you in E!’s reality show Married to Jonas which has just been picked up for a 2nd season.

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The boys that ruled the Disney airwaves grew into young men, and parted ways with Disney during their hiatus from being a band while Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and One Direction took over the world of teen angst in their place.  2012 saw the Jonas Brothers return to the touring world, offering fans just a smattering of tour dates around the globe including places like Moscow, Russia, New York City, the Philippines and finally a stretch of sold out shows at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA along with an appearance at KIIS FM‘s annual Jingle Ball.

The question that comes to mind – do the Jonas Brothers still have what it takes? Fickle teen hearts moved on to worship Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber and One Direction. Would they return to the fold to see what Kevin, Joe and Nick have to offer now? Will they still dance to those “old” songs? Will they embrace the news songs debuted at these live shows – “Wedding Bells”, an ode to ex-flame Miley Cyrus penned by the younger Jonas, Nick. A track called “First Time” which Joe joked was about “the first time, you, uh, eat food” at the Pantages show. The answer so far is yes, for the most part, the fans have flocked back to the trio of brothers and the shrieks still threaten to break the sound barrier as the screen goes up to start their show.

The thought that has bounced around in my head though is the age-old game teenagers play with their peers. Why is it that teenagers must “hate” on each others musical tastes? Does it stem from the lack of confidence, struggle to fit in, the need to be popular or some sort of jealousy? I have friends who grew up in the 1960’s and described to me how it was either the Beatles or the Stones, you were an oddball if you liked both. I experienced it as a teenager in the 1980’s when the kids at school teased you for loving Duran Duran or Depeche Mode because those bands sucked in their opinion. How long does it take for one to mature enough to simply respect their friend’s choice in music? Personally, I’m happy that so far my daughter doesn’t change her mind on which bands she likes to listen to with the day of the week. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this teenage phenomenon in the comments below.

In conclusion, for those that do enjoy seeing the Jonas Brothers live in concert (which we certainly do), they have just announced the first of their 2013 tour dates – a trek through Latin America that kicks off in February. Fan club tickets and VIP packages are available now via the Jonas Brothers website with public on sales to follow through Ticketmaster. Here are the dates:

February 24, 2013: Simon Bolivar University USB, Caracas, VE
February 26, 2013: Vina Del Mar Festival, Vina Del Mar, CL
February 28, 2013: Movistar Arena, Santiago, CL
March 2, 2013: Carlos Paz Summer Event, Cordoba, AR (free concert!)
March 3, 2013: Estadio Ferrocarri Oeste/Atlanta, Buenos Aires, AR
March 5, 2013: Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BO
March 10, 2013: Credicard Hall, Sao Paulo, BR
March 12, 2013: Citibank Hall, Rio De Janeiro, BR
March 14, 2013: Pepsi on Stage, Porto Alegre, BR
March 17, 2013: Yacht Club Del Paraguay, Asuncion, PY
March 19, 2013: Velodrome, Montevideo, UY
March 21, 2013: Paseo Cayala, Guatemala City, GT