On May 1, 2019, I learned that the Jonas Brothers were coming to Chicago on their Happiness Begins tour, and I knew I had to go. I loved the Jonas Brothers so much as a kid that I had a tooth tunes toothbrush to their song “Hold On.” Let me tell you, 17-year-old Ashley lived out six-year old Ashley’s dreams while at the Jonas Brothers concert on Friday, Sept. 20.

After spending $130 on a single ticket, I was hopeful that my money would be put to good use.

The first opening act left me a little worrisome. Jordan McGraw, the son of Dr.Phil, was the first of two opening acts, where he performed six total songs. Overall, his performance was filled with background music that was way too loud, which left my ears ringing before the Jonas Brothers even came out.

The only good part of McGraw’s performance was when he performed a song from his very first concert– Blink 182’s “What’s My Age Again?” I enjoyed this part of his performance the most because it brought me back to my very first concert, and it was also a way for him to connect with the fans.

After McGraw’s roaring background music left the stage, the final opening act came out which was Bebe Rexha. Her 30-minute performance left me a little less worrisome that my ticket was a waste of money.

Even though I’m not the biggest Rexha fan, I still found her performance enjoyable. Rexha was very personal with her audience and involved with the crowd. Her balance of upbeat music and crowd interaction left me hopeful for what was coming next.

What came next was well worth my money. When the three brothers descended onto the stage, coming in on a platform brought down from the ceiling, I knew that I was going to be in for the best night of my life.

The first song on their setlist was “Rollercoaster” which I feel was the best song for the brothers to start with. The chorus of the song states “It was fun when we were young and now we’re older” which matches the brothers perfectly. It has been over six years since the brothers last played together on stage and they have definitely grown up.

The brothers went on to then play some older songs such as “S.O.S” and “Fly With Me” along with a mix of new songs off their “Happiness Beings” album such as “Used To Be” and “Only Human.” Personally, I loved hearing the old music again because it brought me back to the days that I would sing Jonas Brothers in the car while going to kindergarten every day.

Just when I thought the concert couldn’t get better, it did. The only thing that could have made it better was if I was in the pit to see Nick, my favorite brother.

One thing that I absolutely loved about the concert was when they would play old music videos while the brothers performed older songs such as “Lovebug” or “Burnin’ Up”. Throughout the concert, videos of three young actors that resembled the brothers as children would come on, which I thought was really cool and a special way for the brothers to remind us of who they were when their music career started.  At one point during the concert, the video that came on the screen made me personally cry.

Kevin was shown in the video with his two daughters, Alena and Valentina, as they were walking through a forest to meet the younger Kevin. Once he met the younger Kevin, he walked with him over to a piano in the forest so he could teach him how to play just like when he was younger. Once he sat down at the piano in the video, Kevin came out on stage sitting at a piano, which lead the brothers into some of their final songs.

Overall, I feel that the concert was the perfect length of time. The brothers played about 21 songs, which while it may seem like a lot, it blended perfectly together. The entire United Center was filled with screaming Jonas Brothers fans of all ages, which created a perfect environment for the brothers.

To say that I was hit by a “Lovebug” while at the concert is an understatement. I was “Burnin’ Up” with excitement and emotions which would leave me giving the overall concert a 10/10. Jonas Brothers, I was a “Sucker” for your concert and I wish that I could “Hold On” to that night forever.