The Jonas Brothers’ JONAS20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour continues to deliver one jaw-dropping surprise after another and their latest special guest brought a major dose of mid-2000s nostalgia.
At their Thursday, Aug. 14 stop at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, N.J., brothers Joe, Kevin, and Nick Jonas stunned the crowd by welcoming The Click Five on stage for a performance of the band’s 2005 smash hit, “Just the Girl.”
The audience erupted as Joe, 35, introduced the pop-rock group Kyle Patrick, Joe Guese, and Ethan Mentzer by crediting them as a major musical influence.
“They went on to influence a lot of our music,” Joe said, according to fan-captured footage. “We just saw recently they were playing shows again. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘What? … We have to get these guys out here.’”
Nick, 32, added to the excitement, noting the rarity of the moment: “They told us tonight is the first time they’re going to be playing electric for a crowd … in close to 15 years. So, Camden-slash-Philly, please welcome our friends, your friends, The Click Five.”
As cheers filled the venue, lead singer Kyle Patrick stepped up to the microphone with a grin and declared, “Well, hello! We’re back.” The group then launched into “Just the Girl” a track that peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005 and appeared on their debut album Greetings from Imrie House, which reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
Thursday’s cameo followed The Click Five’s recent pair of shows in Asia this past May, their first live performances in years.
The Jonas Brothers’ New Jersey crowd has become something of a hotspot for star-studded cameos. Just days earlier, at their Aug. 10 show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the band brought out Switchfoot, Dean Lewis, Jesse McCartney, and longtime friend Demi Lovato.
Lovato, 32, reunited with the brothers to perform Camp Rock fan favorites “This Is Me” and “Wouldn’t Change a Thing.” Speaking on the Chicks in the Office podcast afterward, the Grammy-nominated singer admitted to feeling “nervous” during the performance.
“I wish I could have soaked it in a little bit more, but I was so focused on, like, ‘What am I singing, the chorus or the verse right now?’ … I didn’t really soak up the love,” Lovato said. “But seeing everyone and the reactions and everything just filled my soul with warmth and love.”
Lovato revealed Joe had reached out just a week before the MetLife show to invite her on stage, calling the experience “so healing” given their shared Disney Channel history.
The Jonas Brothers’ JONAS20 tour, celebrating two decades of music, continues on Saturday, Aug. 15, with a stop at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Va. If the past week is any indication, fans might want to brace themselves because the guest appearances aren’t slowing down anytime soon.