20 years of the Jonas Brothers: How Kansas City celebrated sold-out concert
Remember when Nick Jonas announced he had type 1 diabetes in 2007 and, for some fans, they feared he was going to die, even though he’d been living with the condition for two years at that point?
Millions of the then-13-year-old pop singer’s fans, like Ozark, Missouri, native Ashley Spicer, were around the same age or younger and had never been exposed to what diabetes is, nor did they know the condition is treatable.
Spicer said that learning about the disease when she was young prepared her for when she found out her daughter, Adeline, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Her daughter isn’t embarrassed to wear a Dexcom glucose meter because Nick Jonas also wears one and doesn’t hide it.
“As a mom of a type 1 diabetic, seeing that and remembering that feeling as a kid when she became a diabetic, I think it honestly made my nerves not as shot as a parent,” Spicer said. “I already went through this with my childhood crush. I’m good.”
She is one of many parents with their children who traveled near and far to see The Jonas Brothers live in Kansas City on Tuesday, Oct 7. The New Jersey trio of brothers Joe, Kevin and Nick celebrated 20 years in the music industry and their fifth time performing at T-Mobile Center. It’s part of their Jonas 20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour.
The sold-out show saw the brothers run through their greatest hits, deep cuts and fan favorites in a nearly two-hour setlist. The fourth Jonas brother, Franklin, was one of the opening acts, along with pop-punk icons All-American Rejects.
“It’s real good to be back in Kansas City tonight,” Nick Jonas said. “Tonight we are celebrating 20 years together. Not just us, but each and every one of you is a part of that story.”
Growing up with The Jonas Brothers
Hitting 20 years in the music industry as a prominent boy band is tough to do, but it helps to have loyal fans grow up while you do, as many inside T-Mobile Center did. Yes, the parents passed on their love for the Jo-Bros to their kids, but there were a lot more guests in the venue who are younger than the three brothers (37-year-old Kevin, 36-year-old Joe and 33-year-old Nick) and grew up watching them on the Disney Channel.
Their first exposure was hearing songs like “S.O.S,” “Burnin’ Up” and “Year 3000,” on the channel or seeing them in Disney Channel original movies like “Camp Rock.” These songs garnered some of the biggest reactions of the night, and quite a few fans were spotted wearing shirts with the movie’s logo.
Take 24-year-old Breanna Stuart, who's been a fan of The Jonas Brothers since she was 4 years old. Most of her life has been spent following their careers in some form, whether it’s as a group or through Nick Jonas’ solo work or Joe Jonas’ other pop band, DNCE, who acted as part of the live band ensemble backing up the brothers.
“This is like a dream in the making, crossing it off the bucket list,” Stuart said. “I grew up a Disney kid. I grew up with The Jonas Brothers.”
She remembers the hits, the breakup, the return, the newest album and everything in between. The nostalgia factor and the feeling of being a little kid again played a significant role in her decision to buy a ticket to the show.
The brothers knew this would be the case for many in the audience, as they played “Year 3000” and “Burnin’ Up” back-to-back near the end of the show. They even surprised fans by bringing out Robert “Big Rob” Feggans to perform his verse of “Burnin’ Up” as fire shot out from the top of the George Washington Bridge display on stage.
“It feels really surreal to have been younger and grew up with them, and just to see where they are now and where I am now,” Stuart said. “To see that, yeah, we’re both in different places than when we were at the start of their career to now. But, it’s just surreal.”
Being a part of the Jonas family
The Jonas Brothers invited the crowd to recreate a moment in the brothers’ childhood by playing “When You Look Me in the Eyes,” at the end of the show. They brought out Franklin Jonas and their father, Kevin Jonas Sr., to perform alongside them.
This moment was a peek at the Jonas family living room, Nick Jonas said, and a bigger look at how the brothers create a welcoming atmosphere at their shows.
Hidden within the wardrobe changes, powerful vocals and playful attitude is a family that’s happy to be playing together and sharing the moment with not only each other, but thousands of screaming fans who admire them.
As Joe and Nick trade singing songs from their non-Jonas Brothers career and Kevin sits in the background, you can feel the love they have for one another. When they played one of their songs about fatherhood, “Little Bird,” the cameras spotlighted parents with their children in the crowd.
It’s why Tulsa, Oklahoma, native Katie Fain has seen the brothers multiple times throughout her 32 years , including a stop on their current tour in Dallas in August. She was here with relative Destiny Bowen, who tagged along.
She found herself relating to some of Joe Jonas’ songs from his solo album that released in May, much like she found herself relating to songs from The Jonas Brothers when she was younger.
“Even though I don’t know him personally at all, I feel extra connected to him,” Fain said.
This familial feeling was on full display, taking the time to read and acknowledge the hundreds of fan signs, throwing out guitar picks, pointing the camera into the crowd, congratulating a couple on getting engaged midway through their performance of “Love Bug,” and bringing a kid on stage after seeing his sign asking them for a fist bump.
While they’re not as popular as they once were, The Jonas Brothers have built a loyal following.
Maybe next time the band sells out T-Mobile Center, Spicer, Stuart, Fein and Bowen will intentionally choose to sit next to each other. Outside of Fein and Bowen, they all had never met until they were the first in line outside the venue and spent hours talking and getting to know each other before the gates opened.
Talk about a family atmosphere.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 8:29 AM.
