I FOLLOWED THE JONAS BROTHERS AROUND THEIR TODAY SHOW CONCERT AND I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

To celebrate their new album release, the Jonas Brothers spent the morning kicking off TODAY’s Citi Concert Series. But what’s a morning on the plaza like for American rockstars with screaming superfans? TODAY’s digital managing editor Bryanna Cappadona reports.

May 12, 2023

Jonas Brothers walk through the revolving doors of studio 1A before their performance for the Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.

It’s 6:30 a.m. on a Friday at Rockefeller Center — a near-summer day that’s sunny and airy with a just-right breeze. Most of midtown Manhattan is still snoozing…but not the Jonas Brothers. No, they are busy, buzzing with energy as they prepare to kick off TODAY’s Citi Concert Series.

It’s a big day all around. It’s May 12, to be exact  — the day their newest record, “The Album,” drops... and the day tickets are on sale for their 37-date North American tour…and the day they’re performing on morning television. They’ve got things to do, people to see, places to be.

I, too, am buzzing with energy. As a major Jonas Brothers fan since I was a teen (if you went to high school with me and are reading this, I know you’re rolling your eyes at this massive understatement), my assignment to cover this concert feels like a career pinnacle. It’s as if every professional step I’ve taken thus far has led me directly to this day. If you think I’m nuts, you’re correct.

A huge crowd of people are already packing into the TODAY plaza at this hour, many of whom camped overnight. (Yup, I was also once a camper. My heart bursts with pride and respect for these real ones.)

But first: soundcheck.

Jonas Brothers Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

The plaza between 48th and 50th Streets has undergone an overnight transformation,an incredible feat for our team even after many years of producing TODAY summer concerts; a towering stage with a mini catwalk has been erected, and there are crowd barriers and security guards and TV cameras and concert staff and a press pen surrounding the outer banks. 

When Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas — the real-life brothers who’ve been making music together since 2006, when they were just a trio of kids — sweep into the venue, you don’t see it, you hear it. The crowd, on the smaller side at this time of the morning, but still brimming with a couple hundred people, has erupted into whoops and wails. Am I among those whoopers and wailers? Absolutely, I am.

On stage, Nick cradles a cold brew. It appears to be black with no creamer, and it very much feels like a glimpse behind the curtain, a moment when your favorite celebrity is caught being shockingly normal. Nick Jonas and his morning brew: there’s nothing more human.

“Who’s had their coffee this morning?” Nick asks into the mic, prompting more hoots and hollers. “This is just a soundcheck. So you can save your energy if you’d like, but when we do this for real, you’ll have to go crazy.”

The crowd was buzzing awaiting the Jonas Brothers Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.Jonas Brothers at TODAY's Citi Concert kickoff.

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Soundcheck is a treat, a little bit of extra time to see the artist before they’re on TV. It’s a bit more casual, a bit more stripped down. But just as soon as it’s begun, it’s over, and the Jonas Brothers have headed back into the studio until it’s go-time.

Sometime during the 90 minutes of the TODAY show that airs before the concert, Haley Lu Richardson, the “White Lotus” actress who’s a Jonas Brothers super fan, has joined the plaza and is making her rounds, talking to fellow fans. She’s been tapped to be TODAY.com’s social media correspondent for the day, and she’s arrived with genuine excitement and only a little bit of nerves. Her lipstick also looks awesome — equally as vibrant as her energy — and I tell her as such.

Go-time is quickly approaching. The crowd is squealing. Camera folks are marching into place. Staffers are flocking to the front. People from nearby buildings are peeking through windows.

The 30 minutes the Jonas Brothers perform is a blur, like most euphoric moments are. They play the bangers; we’ve got “Sucker,” we’ve got “Leave Before You Love Me,” we’ve got “Waffle House” and we’ve got a new one called “Summer Baby.” The crowd is a sea of phones trying to get the best shots of their favorite guys. There’s dancing and singing, of course, but there are also unexpected intimate moments with fans. A person near me at the catwalk is holding up a sign with a written plea for a guitar pick. One of the Jonases glides over to hand her one. It’s sweet and unexpected and so very pure. And it happened so close to me that I nearly don’t remember it. 

Jonas Brothers Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.
Jonas Brothers Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.
The Jonas Brothers hit the stage at the TODAY show Citi Concert Series.

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Nathan Congleton / TODAY

When it’s over, it’s actually not over at all for the Jonas Brothers. They’ll be in the 3rd Hour for an interview, so now it’s time to hustle indoors into Studio 1A to get ready. I, along with an entourage of staffers and social media and broadcast producers, trail behind. The band gets a moment to relax — as do the rest of us — until suddenly it’s time to move, and move fast: A video segment must be taped and a TikTok needs to be made, both before the 3rd Hour hit. Time is of the essence! Hustle, hustle, hustle folks!

Jonas Brothers Citi Concert Series for TODAY show.


The next 35 minutes are a whirlwind of Jonases and their people sweeping through the tight halls of 1A, from room to room to elevator and back again. At one point, as I’m standing silently behind a camera in a brightly lit and incredibly quiet studio space, observing the brothers as they tape an interview, Joe Jonas says something that just sticks to my brain. I clock it, like I’ve mentally written it down and stuffed it in my pocket as a thesis for this experience.

“Advice I’d give the Jonas Brothers 15 years ago … I'd say chill out a little bit, you know, maybe not take yourself too seriously. Enjoy the moment.”