Slide Show: Trio turns town into a party
BY ERIC BAILEY World Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6/26/09 at 2:58 PM
Jonas-mania stormed into Tulsa on Monday night.
Girls ages 3 to 63 screamed their hearts out for the Jonas Brothers, who brought their Beatles-esque World Tour to a nearly sold-out BOK Center.
From the opening song, "Paranoid," to the finale, "Burnin' Up," the party never ended. Energy was pumped into the place by New Jersey brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin.
Fans blitzed the 18,000-seat arena, with males heavily outnumbered by females. Screams and sing-a-longs ruled the 90-minute set, including a cover song of "Sweet Caroline" for the parents in the house.
One Owasso father — who might deserve a Father of the Year award for his appearance — wore an AC/DC shirt.
"I'm a reluctant fan" of the Jonas Brothers, James Carl admitted when entering the concert with his daughter, Faith, 10, and six other females.
Wayne Broadway of Langley isn't a fan. He sat outside the arena for five hours while his daughter Breeanna was rocking with her mother inside.
Breeanna "is a big Jonas Brothers fan, and this was a reward for a 4.0 GPA," Broadway said, setting down a well-read book.
For one mother-daughter duo, Tulsa was just the second stop in their pursuit of 45 cities featuring Jonas Brothers shows.
Andrea and Hannah Hylen are from Baltimore, but their address this summer is a 2008 Toyota Highlander that will have 25,000 more miles on it after zig-zagging across the country watching the JoBros.
OK, Mom. The million-dollar question: Why?
First, it's been therapeutic, Andrea Hylen said. The Hylens went to 15 shows in 2008, which helped the pair cope with the loss two years ago of their husband and father, Hurley Hylen.
Going to the concerts "helped her connect with life again," Andrea Hylen said of her 16-year-old daughter. "One of the powers of the Jonas Brothers is they are so heart-centered and have good intentions. They come from a good place, and it comes from their music.
"It's also been my job as a mother to support my daughter's passions. She has a passion for this and will edit film and write about them on our blog (
tulsaworld.com/jonaswatch
). She sees it as a job — not just going to concerts."
The Hylens enjoyed the first show of this year's tour Saturday in Dallas but planned to leave Tulsa quickly.
Hannah Hylen needs a passport for a show next week in Vancouver, British Columbia, so the pair planned to drive overnight for a 10 a.m. Tuesday appointment at a Denver passport office.
They'll also take in a show Wednesday in Denver.
How do they afford their own summer tour?
"We're in the process of selling our house, so we're living without expenses," said Andrea Hylen, who home-schools her daughter. "We're not staying in hotels all the time. We have family and friends and friends' friends. We'll have some debt at the end of the summer, but I'm willing to do that to support a passion of hers which could lead to something."
Hannah Hylen's love for the brothers began in 2005.
She doesn't have a favorite (maybe younger brother Frankie, who isn't in the group, or bodyguard "Big Rob." She's met the brothers five or six times.
Her favorite song is "Black Keys" and she's sat anywhere from the front row to the back of an amphitheater. On Monday night, she was in section 109.
She'll defend her favorite group at the drop of a hat.
"I think they definitely do go into labels and are called a boy band, but that's not how I see them," she Hylen said. "They're wonderful people with great values and good heads on their shoulders. People that don't understand that — that's their problem."
She said that with a smile, without any edge in her tone.
Guess that's just the way she rolls.
Slide Show
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Eric Bailey 581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jonas Brothers fans Hannah Hylen, 16, (left) and her mother, Andrea Hylen, of Baltimore signal how many Jonas Brothers concerts they have been to this year. The two plan to criss-cross the continent following the group's tour this summer.SHERRY BROWN / Tulsa World
Kevin (from left), Joe and Nick Jonas perform in concert Monday night at the BOK Center. SHERRY BROWN / Tulsa World
Kayla Jordan, 9, signs a Jonas Brothers' tour bus — which fans were invited to do — before Monday's show. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
Adoring fans capture Joe Jonas' attention during the Jonas Brothers concert Monday night. SHERRY BROWN / Tulsa World
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