A MOM'S VIEW OF DAUGHTERS JONAS BROTHERS OBSESSION

Article from NJ.com Posted by Bev McCarron March 04, 2008
My daughter is obsessed with three hot boys.
She's a Jonas Brothers fan, and her fixation has gotten so bad we take guests up to her room to enjoy the look of disbelief when they see that every millimeter of her walls are plastered with Jonas Brothers posters and pages torn from magazines.

A few months ago, my daughter, an eighth-grader, even won second prize in a fan contest for best-decorated walls.

The obsession isn't hard to understand for a parent who grew up during Beatlemania. But with the Fab Four, you knew them through their songs; you saw them on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and the fantasy ended there. You never seriously entertained the idea you could actually meet them.

But these days, computer-savvy young fans keep close tabs on their favorite bands. Word gets out immediately when the Jonas Brothers schedule a "meet and greet." My daughter and her friends desperately wanted to go to one in Philly, except for one minor obstacle pointed out by their parents -- school.

Their Jonas Brothers stalking, however, has taught them more about geography than they could ever learn in class. They constantly check to see where the brothers are appearing and whether it's within driving distance.

They were at the Rockaway Mall in December, when the boys gave a live concert at their favorite Jersey mall (they grew up in Wyckoff).

One long-suffering dad, and my daughter's five friends, arrived at the mall at 4 a.m and stood for about 10 hours waiting for the Jonas Brothers' four-song set to begin. One of the girls nearly fainted. She missed the concert, but the boys politely stopped in the medic room and waved to her.

My daughter and her friends still replay the videos they took, mostly footage of outstrected hands waving at the Jonas Brothers, who are drowned out by hysterical screams.

It was hard to remember that, just last summer, the Jonas Brothers were a freebie act at the hot-air balloon festival in Readington. Now, they're selling out arenas.

When tickets went on sale for a March Jonas brothers concert at the Izod Center, I didn't think it could be anything like the Hannah Montana ticket-buying frenzy. But it was.

At 10 a.m,. tickets were released and, within minutes, all had vanished. Along with some other parents, I managed to get five. But the seats were too far away for our daughters, who bemoaned the fact they wouldn't be close enough to their idols.

Since then, they've been vying in radio station giveaways in the hopes of getting a seat near the stage, or better yet, a backstage pass.

I try to tell my daughter it's unrealistic to think she'll ever meet them. She doesn't believe me. Online, she sees dozens of other girls who have succedeed. They post pictures with the brothers, complete with detailed stories.

Who am I to say it won't happen?

It looks like it might after all. My daughter's friends found relatives with show-biz connections --and possible backstage passes.

I'm thinking that'll be the end of it. They'll meet the Jonas Brothers, get their picture taken and leave with an autograph.

Then, it'll be on to the next hot act. Maybe I should be looking for new Jonas Brothers fans. If we're lucky, they'll want to redecorate their rooms, and we'll have a few posters for sale.