By KEVIN TAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

THIS is how you make a come back: perform in front of a screaming crowd of thousands of people.

After three years spent apart, the Jonas Brothers reunited for a world tour that ended with a concert at Stadium Negara last Wednesday for about 3,000 fans. It was the first time they performed in Malaysia, finally making the dreams of local fans come true.

The fans impatiently waiting to watch the Jonas Brothers' concert in Stadium Negara.

Naturally, true fans who have been following Kevin, 25, Joe, 23, and Nick, 20, since their Disney days immediately recognised the concert’s opening act: Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is an American singer/actress who appeared in the Miley Cyrus-starring Disney TV series Hannah Montana and telemovies Camp Rock and its sequel, The Final Jam, that featured the JoBros. (For those of you who might not be true, true fans, here are the six degrees of separation between Miley and the JoBros: she once dated Nick.)

Excitement was already in the air when Anna Maria, 21, stepped up on stage to perform four songs. About 15 minutes later, the brothers finally took to the stage, kicking the atmosphere up a notch.

They started their set with their most romantic song, When You Look Me In The Eye, immediately captivating the audience and turning them into their very own choir.

Nick (left) on the keyboard and Joe (right) taking it away with his vocals.

If you’re thinking that this song should have ended the concert instead of opening it, you’re not the only one. Considering that this concert was the absolute last one on their world tour, the slow number would have made the perfect goodbye (for now).

Fans went crazy when the trio played other favourites like Paranoid and SOS. They also introduced three new songs, one of which is called First Time, to give the audience a taste of what their fifth album will sound like, as a follow up to their last studio album, Lines, Vines And Trying Times, released way back in 2009.

Surprisingly, the new songs sounded much “rockier” compared with their previously (usually) pop-driven tunes. Maybe the JBs (Jonas Brothers) are following JB’s (Justin Bieber) footsteps and taking their music in a more mature direction. Bring on the battle of the JBs!

Nick, the youngest (and fan favourite), seemed to be the multi-talented brother, showing off his skills on the drums and keyboards as the trio switched between songs.

The youngest of the siblings, Nick Jonas, singing while playing the keys.

I have to say, though, throughout the entire concert, which lasted for about an hour and a half, it somehow felt like the Jonas Brothers weren’t very excited about performing, especially Joe. Even when he said “so this is our last stop (for the world reunion tour)”, there was no excitement in his voice, or sadness that the tour was going to end.

Perhaps the brothers had expected a much bigger crowd? Or maybe they just wanted to finish the tour and go back home? I don’t know. But I feel that Malaysian fans deserved a more heartfelt concert, especially as this was the first time they had the chance to watch the brothers perform live.

The Jonas Brothers standing in the middle of the stage as they end their set of the concert.

Or maybe that’s just me. Because the JoBros still seemed to make their fans pretty happy by playing other all-time favourites like Love Bug and Burnin’ Up; they even did a cover of Fun’s We Are Young, popularised in TV series Glee.

Their fans were obviously grateful that the brothers had chosen to perform here and are probably hoping it’s not the last time. And I hope the upcoming album will lift up the brothers’ spirits again and they’ll be more enthusiastic if they come back to promote it with another concert in Malaysia.