BRISTOW, VA – The hype video that introducesthe Jonas Brothersarrives with a sonorous voiceover about living in the moment, telling fans how "life is messy" and "takes detours" but "somehow always brings you right back home." And then the booming kicker amid frenzied lights and shooting pyro: "THIS is family." With that, the trio ofJoe, Nick and Kevin Jonascome swaggering and smiling from the wings, strolling to the tip of a catwalk together, the professional differences that splintered their brotherly union for a spell neatly compartmentalized for 2 ½-hours of polished pop digested by adoring fans. THIS is career longevity in action. The second date of the brothers'JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometowntour pulled into Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater Aug. 12, two days after a massive homecoming arrival at MetLife Stadium in their home state of New Jersey that featured an internet-breaking guest appearance by "Camp Rock" co-star and Joe's ex-girlfriend,Demi Lovato. The Virginia show was among those scaled back from stadiums, but nary a seat or speck of grass went empty at the 20,000-capacity venue as millennials basked in nostalgia and their kids learned the definition of magnetism. There was Joe, who turns 36 on Aug. 15, in his studded denim outfit, sauntering the stage with arms outstretched and bedroom eyes in full effect as he proclaimed, "We're back, baby!" And Nick, 32, with a bandanna jauntily hanging from his neck, telling fans earnestly, "Treat tonight as a thank you letter for making (our career) possible." And Kevin, the elder statesman at 37, owning his guitar riffs with quiet authority as he whirled around the stage among an ace five-piece band, four personable horn players and a pair of angelic-voiced backing vocalists. This tour, named for the band's just-released seventh studio album, will run through mid-November, and it seems designed for flexibility. The JoBros modified their setlist for night two, kicking off the slick show with "I Can't Lose" and saving "Lovebug," the opener at the tour debut, until deep in the concert andplaying 29 songs instead of 31. Though there wasn'ta parade of guests(Switchfoot, Jesse McCartney and Dean Lewis joined Lovato in New Jersey), the threesome stayed true to the "hometown" plot device by welcomingAll Time Low. Nick introduced Maryland-based rockers All Time Low with memories of driving "up and down the East Coast" in the brothers' early career days before singer Alex Gaskarth stormed through the guitar-driven"Dear Maria, Count Me In,"the band's 2008 pop-punk hit. Also on board was Marshmello, who joined the guys for "Slow Motion" before they ceded the stage to him for a 20-minute DJ set packed with trappings familiar to EDM fans – multiple streamer launches, zig-zagging lasers and showers of sparklers. Marshmello hung around for dreamy pop gem"Leave Before You Love Me"(a song he brought to the band in 2021) before leaving the Jonas Brothers, now clad in suits of brown and beige for Act Two, to continue this 20thanniversary celebration of their career. Throughout the show, the threesome hopscotched among albums and solo projects. The band's 2023 "The Album" delivered"Vacation Eyes,"which swooned with finger-snapping ease; a sweet"Little Bird"that invoked emotional declarations from the three "girl dads"; and"Celebrate,"which crackled with its addictive, brass-filled groove. Current single"No Time to Talk"inhabited its Bee Gees-borrowing chorus with a mirror ball, lights that pulsed a rainbow of colors, and the band engaging in their bestJohn Travolta "Stayin' Alive"finger-pointing dance moves. But while fans obviously embraced early Jonas classics, including "S.O.S." and "Year 3000," it was Joe's side gig with DNCE that shimmied the brightest. With his brothers by his side – as well as DNCE partner JinJoo Lee on guitar – Joe sashayed around the catwalk with supermodel moves as"Cake By the Ocean"dropped with unfettered glee. As"The Godfather" tells us,"don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family." Before the Jonas Brothers' romp and a short set from Jonas the youngest, Frankie, the resurgentAll-American Rejectsbounded on stage at 7:40 p.m. Charismatic frontmanTyson Rittertossed yellow roses to the front rows before strapping on a black guitar and bouncing in bare feet for the opening "Swing Swing." Theband is having a moment, having made house (or barn or backyard) parties cool again this summer. But their taut power-pop-rock is best appreciated on these big stages. "We are the bad boys of this tour," Ritter said, dousing AAR's 35-minute set with sweat and innuendo as he joked about the venue's name, pleaded with a cotton candy vendor to give him some sugar and gifted a bride-to-be in the crowd with a tambourine. In between amusing antics, Ritter and bandmates Nick Wheeler (lead guitar), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar) and Chris Gaylor (drums) galloped through new song "Easy Come, Easy Go," the tom-tom heavy "Move Along" and the sly"Dirty Little Secret,"its biting lyrics dipped in melody. While resistance is futile when it comes to AAR sing-alongs, it was especially impossible not to succumb to the jagged guitar riffs and delicious vitriol of"Gives You Hell,"a perfectly constructed anthem unfurled as a cathartic closer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jonas Brothers bring surprise guests, swagger and hits to Jonas20 tour
