Jonas Brothers Deliver Nostalgic Surprise in New Orleans With Emotional ‘How to Save a Life’ Duet
Jonas Brothers Deliver Nostalgic Surprise in New Orleans With Emotional ‘How to Save a Life’ Duet
The Jonas Brothers leaned straight into nostalgia during their Jonas20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour stop in New Orleans on Saturday, surprising a packed Smoothie King Center with a guest appearance tailor-made for their millennial-heavy audience.
Nineteen songs into the set, Nick Jonas paused for a reflective moment, teasing a track that “deeply connected” with him. Moments later, Isaac Slade — the former frontman of The Fray — walked onstage and took a seat at an upright piano.
Together with Joe Jonas, Slade launched into the band’s signature hit, “How to Save a Life.” The 2005 anthem, widely beloved thanks to its recurring presence on Grey’s Anatomy, sparked one of the night’s loudest singalongs. Slade, now running a record store in Washington and rarely performing, was met with the kind of roaring reception that underscored the song’s enduring cultural pull.
The crossover made sense: the crowd skewed toward women who grew up with both the Jonas Brothers on their iPods and Grey’s Anatomy on their TV screens.
A polished, high-energy performance
After opening sets from younger brother Franklin Jonas and pop veteran Jesse McCartney, the stage transformed into a Christmas-themed cityscape. Joe, Kevin, and Nick powered through nearly two hours of hits with professional precision, backed by a lively horn section that doubled as hype crew.
Joe commanded much of the lead vocals, Nick handled emceeing duties, and Kevin showcased crisp guitar work. Early highlights included “Sucker,” “Love Me To Heaven,” and “Only Human,” followed by holiday cuts from their new Disney+ and Hulu comedy, A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.
Fan requests and playful chaos
A signature moment of any Jonas Brothers show is the audience request segment. Signs filled the arena floor, and Joe scanned for the most creative options.
One superfan — who’d seen them around 120 times — requested “Every Single Time,” prompting an acoustic rendition. Another fan used inflatable dice to pick “Tonight,” while a trio of “secret song” options led Joe to choose “Inseparable,” declaring, “Middle is the best — middle child bias.”
A fiery finish
The brothers kicked back into full production mode for a run of crowd-pleasers including “Waffle House,” DNCE’s “Cake By the Ocean,” and Nick’s solo hits “Jealous” and “Gut Punch.” After Slade’s cameo, the energy surged with “Lovebug,” “Year 3000,” and a pyro-packed “Burnin’ Up” featuring a cameo from Big Rob.
The encore brought intimacy with an acoustic version of their very first song, “Please Be Mine,” before Franklin Jonas joined them for the final number, “When You Look Me in the Eyes.”
As confetti rained down, the three brothers closed the night alone on the runway — a reminder that after 20 years, the Jonas Brothers brand remains as strong as ever.
