Jonas Brothers • Boys Like Girls • Franklin Jonas • September 13, 2025 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
When fans made their way to see the Jonas Brothers’ sold-out Greetings From Your Hometown Tour stop at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater on September 13, 2025, they were likely looking forward to a night of newer hits and given their longevity and the tour celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary, nostalgia, but I’m not sure anyone was prepared for the absolute treat we were all in for – especially in the nostalgia department!
I was so honored to be able to cover this show! I became a Jonas Brothers fan a few years ago and got to see them when they were in town in 2023. It was an awesome show! I had taken a little digital camera with me and snapped some photos from the crowd, which ended up making some decent rounds on social media, even getting acknowledgment from the brothers themselves! It was such a happy surprise to get to officially photograph and review the show this time!
I feel like when people think of Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas, they automatically just think of the band. As a pop culture enthusiast, I found it so cool that not only was I getting to see the iconic Jonas Brothers as a band, I was also in the presence of Disney Channel royalty, a broadway star, tv show host, successful solo artists, and so much more – these guys are multitalented, have done it all, and do it all so well!
Franklin Jonas
The talent doesn’t stop with the three brothers – their little brother Franklin is also a musician, and while he had previously not been scheduled to open up the show, I was thrilled to see that he rejoined the tour just in time for the Utah stop!
When Franklin took the stage with a banjo player and a guitarist, his gratitude was evident as he spent time taking in the sea of people who were so excited to see him! He’d later mention that his dad told him to take those moments in, and he was really mindful to do so. During one of those times, he said, “I’m going to remember these moments for the rest of my life.”
Before his first song, he introduced himself and, keeping with the theme of the tour, shared that while his hometown is originally Wyckoff, NJ, he also found home in places like side stage and front of house at his brothers’ shows while he was growing up, but in that moment, home was Salt Lake City!
Franklin asked the crowd if they liked folk music and received an enthusiastic response! He kicked off his set with an original, “Break A Leg,” and sang it so passionately, fans were drawn right in! His voice was steady and strong – I was so impressed!
After the first song concluded, Franklin said, “You all are just too beautiful for me to stay up here,” and took off running through the crowd while covering Coldplay’s “Yellow.” It was sweet to see the pandemonium that ensued when Franklin walked by. Fans were beside themselves with excitement as he paused to sing parts of the song in different areas of the amphitheater. He’d stand up high above the crowd, surrounded by a sea of enthusiastic people, backed by a subtle but beautiful sunset. It was a beautiful scene!
As he returned to the stage, he sang, “Theodore,” and his latest release, “Village Liquors.” It seemed like people were really touched by the powerful lyrics and the power in Franklin’s vocals. He was just so good! When his set came to a close all too soon, the adoring audience roared with very deserving applause!
As I waited for the next set, it was so fun to look around and see all sorts of fun outfits! Some people were simply dressed up, while others came wearing a Jonas Brothers T-shirt or an aspect of their outfit nodded to one of their songs. Some groups even showed up dressed as the Jonas Brothers in an earlier era! People were chatting amongst their friends and making new friends, which is always a highlight at concerts like this!
Boys Like Girls
After a quick changeover, it was time for Boys Like Girls! The Massachusetts natives started taking the world by storm in 2005, and they instantly took us back to that time by kicking off their set with their smash hit, “Love Drunk!” Fans erupted with excitement and immediately started jumping around and singing along! The lead singer, Martin Johnson, sounded just like I remembered he did on the radio years ago. That impressed me even more when I found out after the show, via social media, that he had woken up without a voice that morning. I would’ve never guessed because his voice never wavered!
As if Martin needed to be any cooler, he announced that while his original hometown was in Massachusetts, he “found Utah to be the best state in the country,” and made the jump to move to Salt Lake City in 2020! I think by the volume of their cheers, the rest of the fans found that equally as awesome as I did!
Boys Like Girls rocked through hits like “Five Minutes to Midnight,” “Thunder,” and “Heart Heart Heartbreak,” and even threw in a new one called “Miracle!” I was so impressed with each and every single band member’s energy and the way that they could interact with fans while putting on the show that they did. They were waving, they were giving eye contact, and throwing more guitar pics out into the crowd than I’ve ever seen any band do before!
Martin kept reminding fans that, contractually, he and the band had a duty to fulfill to get the crowd warmed up and excited for the Jonas Brothers, but the fans really didn’t need any encouragement. The band seemingly came by the ability to hype people up naturally! At lost shows, there is usually a portion of the crowd that is really excited during opening acts, but it’s incredibly rare to witness what I did with Boys Like Girls’ set. I don’t think I saw one person in their chair; everyone seemed to be up on their feet, having the time of their lives!
Another hit that was recorded with Taylor Swift back in the day, “Two Is Better Than One,” initiated thousands of people in attendance to bring out their cell phone flashlights, which always makes for a beautiful ambience. Even though it was a slower song, the energy was transferred into a powerful sing-along!
For the last song, “The Great Escape,” Martin announced that he’d play the song once for the phones, once for the fans. I thought that that was a really neat gesture to acknowledge that, of course, everyone wants to document a memory like that, but it also gave people the opportunity to truly be in the moment – the best of both worlds! On the second time through the song, they also wove “Love Drunk” back in to round out their portion of the night!
Fans were enamored by the incredible, high-energy, rockin’ performance put on by Boys Like Girls! I think it’s safe to say that they exceeded the expectations of their contractual responsibilities!
Jonas Brothers
The vicinity of the amphitheater was a palpable buzz in anticipation of the main event, the Jonas Brothers. Not to spoil the rest of the review, but there are some shows that are almost daunting to recap because I want to do them justice, because they were just so good, and this was one of those shows! As soon as the lights dropped and the opening video started rolling, the venue broke out in Beatlemania-esque screams. People who had been away from their seats could be seen running as fast as they could, giggling with excitement along the way, to make it back to their spots for the night they’d been waiting for.
When Nick, Kevin, and Joe stepped on stage, the decibels only rose higher! They took it in and then began, “Mirror To The Sky,” which I’m told was their first time performing that song in its entirety!
It seemed like the party really got started with the next song, a beloved single from their newest album, “Love Me to Heaven!” The brothers effortlessly and charismatically made it to every side of the stage and the catwalk, greeting and serenading fans, together or on their own. Whenever the three of them did end up in the same spot, standing in a row, they looked simply iconic!
Joe, Kevin, and Nick all took time to introduce themselves and say hello, which seemed like such a nice personal touch, especially considering that they really don’t need any introduction! It was also the first of many moments where they expressed their gratitude for the fans and everything that has gone on in their lives in the last 20 years. They were so sincere each time they spoke about the memories that have filled their lives in that amount of time. It would be easy to assume that after 20 years in entertainment, they could’ve easily gotten used to what they do, but it seemed like they’d really become increasingly grateful.
The energy of the show only grew as they rocked through hits like “I Can’t Lose,” the classic “S.O.S.,” and the song that kicked off the band being back together after a hiatus, “Sucker.” Jonas Brothers fans are passionate and excited at all times, but it seems like they get extra hyped for those older songs like “S.O.S.”
After that run, Joe read a few signs in the crowd and said, “There are signs out there that I cannot read out loud – wow!” and later joked, “Oh okay, wow, very naughty Salt Lake,” which made fans laugh. On a more PG note, one sign said, “My kids think I’m at Target,” which Joe said was funny. Another said, “My fiancé thinks I’m at work in Seattle. Can you tell him I’m here?” And he did! He took her phone and recorded a video to comically break the news!
There was another sign requesting that the Jonas Brothers do a gender reveal for a fan. They agreed, but first they sang, “Little Bird,” which is about parenthood. They shared that they also knew that the song also took on meaning for those who’ve experienced loss or are missing someone. The brothers, who are all girl dads, performed the sentimental song with visible emotion. As it drew to a close, Joe remembered that he still had a job to do – the gender reveal! He said, “Okay, everyone place your final bets on what you think it’s going to be – sorry, just kidding, you can’t do that here!” humorously referencing the law that prohibits gambling in Utah! The crowd was thrilled when it was announced that the fan would be having a girl!
Requests via more creative signs made by fans put “Bully” and “Time For Me To Fly” on the setlist, which was a treat for not only the sign creators, but the fans who got to experience those songs that aren’t standardly a part of the show!
On their current tour, the Jonas Brothers have been incorporating one of the coolest traditions into almost every show – they bring out special guests! Sometimes they’re local, sometimes they’re not, but the time arrived for the night’s first special guest. Nick shared that when he’d first heard the song that the secret special guest had put out, he said he’d wished he had written it himself and praised the talent of this artist. They shared that he was a local, and as smoke filled the stage, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees appeared through it ready to sing, “Everybody Talks.” Fans were stoked and instantly started singing along to the popular hit from likely most of the crowd’s teenage years! Joe and Nick joined in for various parts of the song and rocked it as well! Tyler was a wonderful surprise guest!
A few songs down the line, it was time for my personal favorite song of theirs to see live, “Vacation Eyes,” or as fans like to call it on social media, “Joecation Eyes.” Don’t get me wrong, Nick starts out the song and does a stunning job. His voice perfectly sets the tone for the song – dreamy, romantic, and vacation vibes. There’s just something about Joe’s part of the performance that gets people totally enthralled. Fans went pretty wild for this one, and I can understand why!
Their band was a force to be reckoned with. They were vibrant, a joy to watch, and could pull off the most impressive dance moves while singing or playing an instrument! This was showcased especially well in the upbeat, “Celebrate!”
We were also favored by several songs from Joe and Nick’s solo music, starting with Joe’s band DNCE’s hit, “Cake By The Ocean.” That one was a lot of fun, and Joe was so high-energy that the whole crowd was jumping, dancing, and having a blast singing along. Fans were really locked in for Nick’s awesome performance of one of his popular singles, “Jealous.” It was intense, but in a good way, just like the song. It was just so good! The two brothers even went back and forth in a solo song battle. Joe sang songs like “Just In Love” and “Toothbrush,” while Nick sang songs like “Bacon” and “Levels.” They had the stage lights and sounds reflect that of an older video game, and the colors would change depending on who was singing. It was a very creative display!
Soon, it was time for another special guest. This one was more of a surprise to me because, as far as I know, this one didn’t have ties to Utah, but I do know that Utah sure loves him! I wish I would’ve screenshot my husband’s face when I FaceTimed him to show him that one of his favorites, Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan, took the stage! It was a pretty accurate representation of how the rest of us at the show were feeling! “I’m Just A Kid” was performed by Pierre and the Jonas Brothers. Again, it was another popular throwback song that everyone seems to know, which made it really fun!
A few songs later, sitting at the piano, Nick admired the crowd and said, “This is so fun, Salt Lake City,” and fans cheered back in agreement. He began to play the easily identifiable intro to another classic, “Fly With Me.” It’s one of my favorites, so I was excited that this one was on the setlist because the last time I saw them, they performed it on a B stage, making it hard to see, but this time I was able to take it all in! It’s amazing to me how they can sound just the same, if not better, than the recording after all of those years!
One of the first Jonas Brothers songs I’d heard as a kid was “Lovebug.” It’s definitely a fan favorite, and the fans singing along to the endearing tune echoed around the venue. Towards the end of the song, the song turns from sweet and docile to rocking, and at that point, pyrotechnics went off to the beat of the music, and the trio epically walked down the catwalk together to jam out to the rest of the song!
The rest of the night was filled with hit after hit like “Leave Before You Love Me,” “Year 3000,” and “Burnin’ Up.” “Year 3000” turned the atmosphere into quite the party! People really hyped up, jumping around and basically yell-singing along!
During “Burnin’ Up,” the Jonas Brothers’ loyal, career-spanning bodyguard, Big Rob, came out to perform his rap portion of the song, which was a rarity before this tour! So many longtime fans were beside themselves that they got to see him in person, let alone during “Burnin’ Up!”
The brothers stepped away and returned for an encore, leading off with “Please Be Mine,” which was the first song they ever wrote together. They showed a sweet clip of them performing it all those years ago, and after the song, they shared that if you were to be in the Jonas household on any given evening back then, their family could likely be found spending time together, especially singing together.
They brought out Franklin to try and replicate that feeling the best that they could for that last song, “When You Look Me In The Eyes.” It’s a stunning ballad, and the four Jonas brothers did a beautiful job singing it. It was really sweet to see them all interacting with each other for this song. As it drew to a close, Kevin, Joe, and Nick made their way to the catwalk together to say goodbye and take their bows as confetti rained down. Franklin stood in the background with an adoring smile and waited for his brothers, and when they were through, the four of them walked off stage together, arms around each other.
To say it was an amazing night would be an understatement. From the excited expressions of joy around me after the show to the posts and comments I’ve seen on social media, this night meant a lot to people in so many different ways. There were a lot of comments with a nod to the popular phrase, “This healed my inner child.”
From Franklin Jonas to Boys Like Girls, Tyler Glenn to Pierre Bouvier, and, of course, our beloved Jonas Brothers, the West Valley City show of the Greetings From Your Hometown Tour was a night that took people back in time in the best way. Each artist we were privileged to see was beyond talented and gave it their all, no matter how long they were on stage! Thank you, Jonas Brothers and co., for such an iconic night that we’ll never forget!
I think a quote that I read in a People Magazine article called, “Everyone, Just Quit Now: The Jonas Brothers Are The Only Ones Doing Nostalgia-Bait Right,” by Stephanie Sengwe said it best: “A lot of fans who are buying tickets to Greetings From Your Hometown are already showing up to hear ‘Burnin’ Up,’ ‘Year 3000,’ ‘Lovebug,’ and more, so to get an added surprise act, especially one that means something to you, makes the experience that much sweeter. You’re not only going to see your favorite childhood band, but if you’re lucky, you’ll also catch two or three of them on the same stage in one night. And you only paid for one ticket!”