On Tuesday night (8th August 2017), KL Live was definitely the place to be. DNCE was in town for their first ever concert in Malaysia and boy, their show was a fun-filled party from start to finish.
Frontman Joe Jonas, guitarist JinJoo Lee, bassist/keyboardist Cole Whittle, and drummer Jack Lawless have been touring the world as a 4-piece band since the release of their self-titled album. So it was exciting to watch the group’s body of work in a live setting.
As soon as the lights went down, the elation went up a notch and chants for DNCE echoed throughout the compact venue. Decked in lion headgears, all 4 members made their dramatic entrance to a “Star Wars/Lion King” theme. It didn’t take long for Joe and the gang to launch into the opening number “Naked”, followed by “DNCE” and the sexually-charged “Body Moves”.
The American quartet also performed a medley of covers that night, including TLC’s “No Scrubs” and a scream-y version of rapper Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home”. If you ever want to discover a musician’s vibe, the best way to do so is to listen their interpretations of your favourite songs. Towards the end, DNCE even brought on the nostalgia by singing “Wannabe” by Spice Girls and Britney Spear’s “Oops!… I Did It Again”.
DNCE continued to keep the momentum going with one energetic song after another – “Blown”, “Let’s Dance”, “Doctor You”. Although the pop-rock band slowed things down mid-segment for a stripped-down performance of “Almost”, it didn’t feel as intimate as we first heard it in the album. Rather than standing out, it blended with the other uptempo tunes.
One thing was for sure though, Joe is obviously the face of DNCE. When the Jonas Brothers parted ways, younger brother Nick ventured into the R&B genre while older sibling Kevin took a step back from the limelight to start a family. Many JoBro fans will probably agree when we say that out of all the siblings, Joe has stayed truest to the Jonas Brothers’ pop rock roots.
It was undeniable that Cole, the flamboyant man with a mohawk on the side of his head, was on a mission to keep fans entertained at all times. He was constantly jumping around on stage and wiggling on the floor. At one point, he even dropped to his back and started clapping with his legs. His energy was infectious!
Like a true rocker, Jack was seen smashing his cymbals like his was legit pissed off at the world. Not to rule out the only lady in the bunch, JinJoo was equally energetic in her performance as guitarist as well as her interaction with the screaming fans. One of our favourite moments from JinJoo was when the South Korean musician double-dabbed for the crowd.
2 of DNCE’s singles – “Toothbrush” and “Cake By The Ocean” – were a hit with the audience, no surprise there. We couldn’t help but dance and sing along to the catchy tunes. And speaking of surprise, DNCE also made it a point to pay a sweet tribute to our country by bringing out the Malaysian flag during their cover of Queen’s “We Are The Champions”. That was a nice touch 😉 Now can we please press rewind on DNCE’s concert in KL Live?
Special thanks and much love to our friends from Universal Music Malaysia for having us at DNCE’s concert!
For more information on DNCE, hit up their website or their Facebook page.
