The Waiting For You performance is very good! Sounds very similar to the studio version but obviously live. How many more dates are there in the US? Is Cali at the end? I would like to see her do Kingdom Come and bring out Iggy next.
Review: Demi Lovato outshines Nick Jonas in concert
Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas were, technically speaking, co-headliners at Thursday's concert at the SAP Center at San Jose.
Yet, the show only served to underscore just how far Jonas needs to go to reach Lovato's level in the live arena.
Even more troubling, the concert didn't provide much evidence in favor of him ever actually being able to hit that mark.
Lovato exhibited brighter star power, had a much better game plan for what she wanted to do onstage and displayed the better, and certainly more versatile, singing voice. She also has the stronger song book, which isn't saying much.
Very little of that is a reflection on Lovato's actual prowess onstage. In many other comparison groups, she'd rank as average as best. Compared to Jonas, however, she's Madonna in her prime.
The former Jonas Brothers star took the stage first, which constituted possibly the smartest move of the evening, and began to rock his way through one forgettable offering after another from his two most recent solo studio efforts, 2014's "Nick Jonas" and 2016's "Last Year Was Complicated."
The 23-year-old singer can sure make soul music sound soulless, often crooning with the conviction of someone reading the menu at a fast-food restaurant. Such songs as "Champagne Problems" and "Good Thing" somehow managed to come across even more sterile live than they do on record.
Sure, Jonas has tried hard to leave his tween idol days behind him. Yet, he still has Disney written all over him. He's targeted an older crowd, but his pop still feels as plastic as it did in the Jonas Bros era.
Following a decent version of "Chains," Jonas exited the stage and the 23-year-old Lovato appeared in his place, immediately lifting the show to a higher level with a version of "Confident" that lived up to its title.
"Tonight's going to be awesome," Lovato said to the crowd. "I can feel it."
Lovato would do her best to fulfill that forecast, thrilling the crowd with a mix of songs (mainly) from her three most recent albums — 2011's "Unbroken," 2013's "Demi" and 2015's "Confident."
The pop singer, who began her long run with Disney's Hollywood Records label with the "Camp Rock" soundtrack and the solo debut "Don't Forget" in 2008, did a great job managing her time onstage. She put just enough effort into connecting with the crowd — making comments to individual fans, etc. — but never so much that it slowed down the overall show. A lot of stars could learn from Lovato in this regard.
She'd do some of her best work of the night on the slower material, touching hearts with the "Unbroken" cut "Fix a Heart" and the "Demi" track "Nightingale."
Following the new album's "Lionheart," Lovato was joined by Jonas, who'd accompany his tour mate on piano during "Stone Cold." He then stuck around to perform his own little mini set. He'd do a bit better this time around, riding the momentum Lovato had created and singing the likes of "Chainsaw" and "Jealous."
Lovato then closed the show in fine fashion, delivering fun versions of "Give Your Heart a Break" and "Cool for the Summer."
Looking back at the early careers of Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas may be an obvious introduction to the two artists, but if those careers were completely overlooked it would be remiss, because the duo have done the near impossible: Seamlessly, and very publicly, transitioning over from childhood stars to full-fledge entertainers in their twenty-somethings (bringing along with them a raw and very real sexuality, class, and style, embracing the now and bracing for the future). As the pair embarks on this leg of their journey, they invite us along with them on Future Now: The Tour (this past Friday stopping off at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center).
The tour itself has already been making major waves across the country, with a slew of heavy-hitting guests and a powerful statement in North Carolina (where the pair cancelled a leg of their tour in protest of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act). As part of the larger 2016 Honda Civic Tour, Lovato brings with her Confident (2015, Island/Safehouse), her fifth studio album, and Jonas with him Last Year Was Complicated (2016, Island/Safehouse), his third studio album. Together Lovato and Jonas put on a no frills show, focusing their attention instead on their incredibly powerful voices, versatile lyrics and rhythms, and the almost insatiable energy of the packed stadium.
Jonas, in his own right, may have stolen part of the show with his smooth theatrics and sheer charm (playing hits like “Jealous” and “Champagne Problems”). Lovato, on the other hand, may have seduced the audience with interjections of impossibly high notes and sultry moves (playing her newest single “Body Say” mixed with hits like “Confident”). The coup de grâce of the evening, outside of special guest duets with Desiigner and Jamie Foxx, was a duet between Lovato and Jonas of “Closer” (off Jonas’ latest album, with the female vocals originally being supplied by Tove Lo). As an ensemble, Lovato and Jonas slay and the tour is one that is not to be missed by any fan of pop art—it meshes and melds an array of music and musicians that is almost unparalleled by all other tours in 2016.
As Justin Bieber had done a few days earlier, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato honored the victims of the Pulse massacre of only three weeks ago as part of their Future Now Tour on Saturday night, July 2, but they brought out a very special guest to help them with their tribute. Andra Day, whose beautiful anthem “Rise Up” has become synonymous with healing after the recent tragedy, joined Jonas and Lovato onstage to perform the song as the names and ages of the 49 victims of the Pulse shooting were projected on screen. It also included a special note at the end which read, “Also in remembrance of Christina Grimmie, 22.” It was an incredibly moving moment placed at the center of the show which otherwise held true to the #KeepDancingOrlando philosophy.
Jonas kicked off the show (in fact, the only time that the pair performed together was when they joined Day for “Rise Up”) with “Levels” and finished it up by saying, “Now listen. I came to dance and have some fun, I hope you did.” But it wasn’t his dancing as much as his impressive voice that was on full display during his opening portion of the show.
While cuts from his new album Last Year Was Complicated, including “Bacon” (which was accompanied by video of the sizzling breakfast food and introduced by Jonas saying, “Sometimes you just gotta throw some bacon on it and make it that much better”) and “Champagne Problems” were welcomed, it was the songs from his 2014 self-titled album that the fans seemed to really want to hear. That was evidenced by the overwhelming reactions to the sexy anthem “Teacher” and “Chains,” which effortlessly segued into Lovato’s stage takeover with “Confident.”
And by the eruption of the crowd on Lovato’s entrance, decked out in thigh-high black boots and a revealing black body suit, it was Lovato that the fans had come to see. Her message of empowerment for girls and young women has always been at the forefront of her music, and it was eagerly accepted by the loving Amway Center audience.
Lovato let the audience know that she was in the middle of recording new material and had no interest in keeping it hush hush until a new album is released before launching into her brand new song “Body Say.” This was only the third time the song had been performed after first being introduced live at the Atlanta stop of the Future Now tour this week. It’s a sexy little number that seems like a logical extension of the naughtiness revealed in “Cool for the Summer.”
The amount of stage time given to each seemed to favor Lovato over Jonas during the first portion of the show, but that didn’t seem to be much of an issue with the audience. Following the Orlando tribute, Jonas once again took the stage to close out his portion of the show, delivering a scorching rendition of his current hit “Close” and ending with “Jealous.” Lovato also had two numbers to close out the show, beginning with her anthem of resiliency, “Skyscraper,” and wrapping things up with the sultry sexiness of “Cool for the Summer.” And that’s an appropriate end to the show which will undoubtedly be one of the coolest shows we’ll have coming through Orlando this summer.
Sorry for the third post in a row but I didn't want to make a LONG post
Another one:
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What would you expect a combined concert of Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato to be like?
If you expected it to be a greatest hits presentation of Jonas in his Jonas Brothers days, or Lovato in her Disney days, you’d be wrong.
If your best guess would be a mix of Justin Timberlake’s on-stage swagger and Katy Perry’s whimsical props and costumes, you’d also be wrong. The reality lies somewhere in the middle.
The 42-stop “Future Now Tour” is a strategically packaged melding together of two 23-year-old stars, with similar fan bases, backgrounds and music, for a fun summer sing-a-long show without too many theatrics to get in the way of a good Snapchat video.
Which, to be fair, is a nice gift to San Diego teenagers in their final days before going back for another school year.
At a packed Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista Sunday, Jonas and Lovato put on a joint show that at best showed their vocal strength and growing resumes of hit songs, and at worst didn’t do much to help them shake a title the Washington Post recently gave them and some of their peers: “the mid-level pop star.”
After opening acts Chord Overstreet (of “Glee” fame) and Mike Posner (“I Took a Pill in Ibiza”), Jonas walked out to screeching fans to start the show. Appearing on stage in sunglasses and matching denim jeans and jacket, he reminded the crowd why he’s the most successful of the three Jonas Brothers (so far).
The falsetto, the suave lyrics, the screaming girls: it was all there. He opened with “Levels” and worked through only a handful of songs, including “Numb,” “The Difference” and “Bacon” before passing the stage to Lovato.
Jonas’ singing was solid. But he flew through the songs, most from his recent album “Last Year Was Complicated” with little extra to say or do.
He didn’t have much to work with other than a band — which often looked like it was having more fun than Jonas — two casual backup singers, some smoke machines and various lighting.
The same went for Lovato, which is probably why the “mid-level pop star” label rings true. The duo didn’t spring for backup dancers, stage platforms, decorations, produced background videos or props.
They just sang on the stage or one lower platform, which is fine, when you are pitch perfect like both Jonas and Lovato. But it’s also very “mid-level” when Beyonce’s current tour has an army of women dancing in fake rain and Rihanna’s has her hovering above the crowd dancing in a glass box.
The lyrics of Jonas and Lovato — who have been friends for about a decade and even recently created a record label together — are both very sexy. But to sell them, you have to do more than just sing them.
Which is where Lovato outshines Jonas. In a revealing black leotard and leather jacket and thigh-high boots, she literally stole the stage from her label-mate as he was wrapping up “Chains.”
His song transitioned into “Confident,” which she recently sang at the Democratic National Convention, and with that, Jonas was easy to forget.
“It’s time for me to take it/I’m the boss right now” she sang, truly meaning it. “It’s all about me tonight.”
“Confident” was the song but also the best word to describe Lovato on stage. Nothing more, nothing less.
Her confidence was well beyond what I remember from seeing her at the San Diego County Fair back in 2012. That was shortly after some of the singer’s darkest times: the years after she starred in Disney’s “Camp Rock” and at the peak of struggles with addiction, bipolar disorder and other mental health issues.
Then, her lyrics and performance were more open and vulnerable. Sunday, her performance was powerful and flawless.
During her part of the “Future Now Tour,” those struggles appeared to be left in the past. But before the show and behind the scenes, Lovato made sure to remind fans that a mission to share her story and empower others facing issues with mental health is still a priority.
About 100 people attended a special workshop put on by CAST Centers, a health and wellness organization Lovato credits with getting her through those dark times. With the motto “Freedom to Be Your Best Self,” the event included a guest speaker and emphasized Lovato’s goal to help reduce any negative stigmas surrounding mental health issues.
“The more you make it cool and empowering for the masses to embrace mental health, the more that somebody who doesn’t have the resources and really struggles will be able to get mental health services because people are going to be more self-aware and have more compassion,” CAST Centers CEO Mike Bayer — who has worked with Lovato for years — said.
On stage, however, though she did sing some emotional fan favorites like “Fix a Heart,” “Nightingale” and “Lionheart,” her sultry performance of her new single “Body Say” was more of an indicator of who she is as an artist now.
“If my body had a say/I’d get it off my chest/Show you all the red lace/underneath this dress,” she sang.
Though she flew through her songs a lot like Jonas did, she sang more songs than him and seemed genuinely happy to be there. “Heart Attack” and “Neon Lights” had the crowd dancing before Jonas came back on stage.
Then, Jonas played piano while Lovato sang “Stone Cold.” During this song and a few others, Lovato was able to show what sets her apart from so many other pop stars around her age: her voice.
Lovato belted it with the power and range only otherwise associated with the Adeles and Christina Aguileras of the diva world. Jonas harmonized at moments, but even he mostly listened along with the crowd.
It’s not easy to quiet a crowd full of mostly teenage girls from singing along, but on this song, they were definitely less audible.
These several minutes with Jonas back on stage were some of the best of the hour-and-a-half-long show. When Lovato left for her one costume change, Jonas sang “Chainsaw,” which he said was inspired by her advice to become a more honest songwriter.
He played piano and sang and it was his most genuine performance of the night.
She was right, Jonas. We want more!
He performed his biggest recent hit “Jealous” and then Lovato rejoined him to duet his song “Close.” It would have been nice to see the combo together on a song that showed off both of their voices more, but maybe they’re saving that for the Future, rather than Now.
Lovato finished without him in a sparkly white leotard and cape with “Skyscraper,” “Give Your Heart a Break” and “Cool for the Summer.”
Cool for the Summer? Yes. Cool for the future? We’ll see.