Jonas Brothers wow huge crowd at Stadium of Fire
A mere mention of the Jonas Brothers sent fans into a frenzy. The possibility that they might walk by sent girls into high-pitched delirium.
When the three actually walked onstage at the Stadium of Fire, the noise level of the thousands of girls in the audience went eardrum-busting and shrill. One can imagine the mayhem that ensued when Joe Jonas, halfway through the set, said, “We love you.”
Oh well, you’ve gotta figure the Jonas Brothers are used to it. And parents who aren’t could buy earplugs at the concession stand.
The Jonas Brothers were Katie Congrave’s motivation; she and her father were in town from Stocktown, Calif., and when the 12-year-old found out their trip coincided with the Stadium of Fire, they got tickets.
“I love the Jonas Brothers with all my heart,” she said, holding onto her JoBro bag.
“That’s all right, she’s 12,” her father, Tom, said with a laugh.
He was there, a willing participant along with the thousands of parents whose offspring are as infatuated as Katie.
“When I bought her the tickets, that was the best day ever, until today,” he said. “Now this is the best day ever.”
She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The Stadium of Fire dancers grabbed their flags and sprinted closer to the stage, and girls left their seats on the field to crowd around a strip of stage that was occupied by a wandering Jonas brother during their first song.
Military families danced on the field, grandmothers moved to the music, people clapped and cheered, jumped up and down and generally rocked out. At times the screaming was almost as loud as the music, but no one goes to the Stadium of Fire for a quiet evening.
But the boys weren’t the only attraction. Host Glenn Beck got plenty of cheers when he came onstage, as did country music group SHeDAISY.
Kristian Watt, of Orem, and Rachael Yerkef, of Pleasant Grove, both sported homemade T-shirts decorated with buttons, ribbons and Jonases.
“We love the Jonas Brothers,” Watt said.
“No, we’ve never heard of them,” Yerkef said with a laugh.
The backs of their shirts showed their true feelings; Watt’s showed him to be “Crazy for SHeDAISY,” and Yerkef may have been wearing the only shirt in the stadium that said, “I love Glenn Beck.”
But they’d downloaded Jonas Brothers music and were ready to rock.
“We’re going to be singing really loud,” Watt said.
“And very off-key,” Yerkef added.
“And very obnoxious, kind of like that,” Watt finished, pointing to a group of shrieking girls nearby.
The huge Stadium of Fire flag that for a decade has been part of the ceremonies was held up by two cranes over the southeast corner of the stadium; it was retired as part of this year’s festivities. The fireworks started early and went through the evening.
Ed and Barbara Adams came from Columbus, Mont. They sat on the north end, at the top row, underneath the scoreboard. The stage was tiny from their view, but the fireworks were just right.
“And not only that, but we have a breeze, we have a little backrest, and if it rains we have a little covering,” Barbara Adams said. “We’re a little too old for the Jonas Brothers.”
• Heidi Toth can be reached at 344-2556 or htoth@heraldextra.com.
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