Entertainment

The Jonas Brothers Just Played Halftime At The NFL’s First-Ever Game In Australia

Jonas Brothers performing at their Happiness Begins Tour stop in Nashville, 2019

Photo: Hart1300caleigh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The NFL played its first-ever regular season game on Australian soil Friday, and the league handed the halftime slot to a band that knows a thing or two about stadium-sized nostalgia: the Jonas Brothers. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers on the field, the trio ran through a medley built for a crowd that grew up on them — “Burnin’ Up,” “Sucker,” “Year 3000,” and their new one, “Listen When Sad.”

They also did something no one was expecting: a cover of John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice,” the 1986 Australian anthem that’s basically a second national song at this point. It’s the kind of move that plays a lot better live in Melbourne than it would’ve on paper. “Playing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of such passionate Australian fans is an incredible honor,” the group said in a statement ahead of the show. “We can’t wait to be part of this historic moment and celebrate with everyone in the stadium and watching around the world.”

The game itself wasn’t close — the 49ers took it 27-7 — but the real story was everything happening around the field. Cody Simpson opened the day singing “Advance Australia Fair,” and the whole event doubled as a launchpad for the Jonas Brothers’ next act: “The Burning Up Tour All Over Again,” kicking off Sept. 25 and running through Dec. 22, a nod to the original Burnin’ Up Tour from nearly two decades back.

That throwback framing isn’t just marketing. “Listen When Sad,” which the band debuted live at Madison Square Garden before Melbourne, pulls from a very specific corner of their teenage years. “We’ve tapped back into a sound that was kind of the sound of the early 2000s,” Nick told the MSG crowd. “Bands like Switchfoot, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional.” They’ve even re-teamed with the producer behind “A Little Bit Longer” and “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” to get it right. No album’s been announced yet, but between the halftime show and the tour, it’s clear they’re not easing into this one quietly.

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Related Topics:Burning Up Tour halftime show John Farnham Jonas Brothers Listen When Sad Melbourne NFL

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Natalie Patrick

Natalie is a journalism major with a focus on Entertainment and Music who aspires to become a Content Creator For Honk Magazine. Eventually, she wants to be the Publisher or Editor-in-Chief of a major Publishing House. She loves helping people find their voice and passion for writing and journalism, and she can always be found with coffee in hand, editing another article.

Celebrity

Meek Mill Draws Mixed Reactions With Drill Take on Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong”

Meek Mill has released a couple of songs that leaked online recently, giving fans a proper way to hear the tracks after they popped up over the weekend. “Philly Heathens” has been praised for its attention to street culture and youth affected by violence, but his other new album, “Am I Wrong,” has received a much more divided response.

“Philly Heathens” has been praised for its lyrics about street culture and the young people who get caught up in violence. “Am I Wrong,” however, takes a vastly different approach, remixing the song of the same name by Nico & Vinz as a drill centric interpolation.

“Am I Wrong” is now 12 years old, and its connection to the EDM sound of the time makes it especially recognizable to those who grew up with it. So Meek’s take is built on a familiar musical reference, but the response has been far from universally complimentary. A lot of the criticism has been directed at the hook. The production has also been called dated, but the track was leaked, which may explain its sound. But the strongest reactions have focused on Meek’s chorus vocals.

Some of the responses have been good, though. Some listeners felt the track was a throwback to the blog era, while others thought the criticism targeted almost entirely the hook, not the song as a whole. One Reddit commenter wrote that the track was good, but the chorus was bad, suggesting that Meek’s performance on the rest of the song was better than the reception to the hook may suggest.

The different reactions demonstrate the contrast between Meek’s two new leaks. “Philly Heathens” has resonated with audiences for its subject matter, while “Am I Wrong” has sparked discussion due to its interpolation and vocal approach.

Both songs are now officially available on YouTube so that fans can decide for themselves. The response to “Am I Wrong” shows how difficult it is to reinterpret a well known song, especially when a recognizable hook becomes the centerpiece of the new version

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Celebrity

Drake Joins Karol G in Houston for First Live Performance of “Ahi”

Drake made a surprise appearance in Houston this weekend, joining Karol G on stage for the first-ever live performance of their collaboration, “Ahi.”
The surprise appearance took place during Karol G’s show in Houston, where Drake jumped out from the bottom of the stage to perform the song with her. “Ahi” is the latest from Karol G’s project No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, and the Houston show marked the first time the pair had performed the collaboration together on stage.

Drake made his entrance to a loud reception from the crowd. The rapper popped out from under the stage, bowed to Karol G, hugged her, and launched into their collaboration. With “Ahi,” the performance was not over. Drake stayed on stage and carried on with the set, performing “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” and giving the Houston crowd a long set from the Canadian rapper.

The collaboration also sparked speculation about Drake’s upcoming music. A rumor started that Karol G was one of the collaborators on the project, along with Molly Santana and Future, days before ICEMAN is expected to drop. Future and Molly Santana were among the names on the rumored list, and Future ended up on “Run To Atlanta.”

Drake’s Houston appearance comes as he continues to promote music outside the traditional album release cycle. He released FOMO, a visual YouTube project featuring visuals for several songs from Habibti and Maid Of Honor nearly two weeks ago. The project also featured a couple of unreleased songs, including new material with Yeat and new unreleased music with Don Toliver.

Drake and Don Toliver have also dropped a remix of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.” The remix has recently sparked speculation about the artists after re uploaded visuals allegedly erased all footage of Langley.

But the Houston show shifted the focus back to Drake and Karol G. The surprise appearance turned the stop into the first live showcase of “Ahi” for the audience, while Drake’s renditions of “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” extended his surprise time onstage. It also gave fans their first chance to see the two artists perform their collaboration together, adding a live chapter to the release of “Ahi. “

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