I’m not sure about you, but I vividly remember my first heartbreak. The Disney Channel Original Movie (or DCOM) premiered September 3, 2010, introducing the world to Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. It was the perfect sequel. Most of the cast returned, and the opening song, “Brand New Day,” changed my life. I tuned in on my couch for the entire 97 minutes, and I could not foresee the ending that would wreck me. Unfortunately for me and most other viewers, the movie quickly became disastrous. Camp Star was practically a fully functioning record label rivaling the sweet, novice, and innocent Camp Rock that we all know and love.
When it came down to the final performances between Camp Star and Camp Rock, Camp Rock crumbled under the weight of the unparalleled professionality of Camp Star. I am actively remembering the sheer pain this caused me. Camp…Rock…Lost. Gosh, it’s so hard for me to acknowledge their loss even now, almost 14 years later. I wept on my couch, genuinely feeling betrayed that Camp Star had unfairly beaten my beloved Camp Rock, and I’m still a little salty to this day. Although losers, Camp Rock had all of the heart, grit, and emotions, and their final performance reflected that of a summer camp that wedged its way into my heart two summers prior in the first movie.
Years pass, and not a single part of me has forgotten the loss that shaped the rest of my 2010 life and to make matters a little bit worse, in 2013, the Jonas Brothers split up due to creative differences and internal callings to other opportunities that didn’t include them being together. According to Billboard, Kevin Jonas revealed, “We didn’t want the band to end when it did, but we all really needed that time. The Band-Aid had needed to be ripped off.” The news of their split kind of crushed any inkling of me that needed to see the Jonas Brothers, but of course, it is understandable that they needed a break to value their own autonomy and choice.
Luckily for all of us, the Jonas Brothers returned in 2019 after a years-long hiatus, delivering the chart-topping song “Sucker,” and we all have Nick Jonas to thank. As mentioned in an article on ABC News, “‘I broke the band up, but I got them back together as well,’ Nick Jonas told host James Corden.”
Fast forward to this year, and the Jonas Brothers are set to play at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo on March 15, 2024. They are currently on their world tour, Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour but I like to think that they knew they needed to circle back to Houston to help glue back together the shards of my broken heart, which they played a small role in by being part of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. I immediately knew I had to go and see them in person; there was no way I could miss the opportunity to hear a band that had shaped a good part of my childhood. So, that’s exactly what I did.
Almost two weeks ago, I got to hear the Jonas Brothers live. Their set list included some childhood classics like “Burnin’ Up” and “Year 3000,” and some of their solo songs during the breakup like “Cake By the Ocean” and “Jealous.” To my surprise, they also performed three Camp Rock songs. The excitement in my body couldn’t be contained. I’m already hyper at concerts, but I didn’t know I needed this concert to this extent. When I heard “Play My Music” and “Gotta Find You,” I could already feel the tiny splintering pieces of my young broken heart mending together. I thought the child in me had fully been restored from this one concert, but then Joe Jonas cheekily announced, “Nick…would you like to introduce yourself?” or something to that effect, I’m not sure I kind of blacked out for a millisecond. At that moment, Nick Jonas started playing the beginning notes of the Camp Rock 2: Final Jam classic, “Introducing me.” At that time, the broken part of me that sat on my couch in the fall of 2010 was fully healed.
Of course, I am dramatic by nature, so my distraught childhood feelings from the loss are a little over the top, but at that moment, they were very significant. 14 years of periodically brooding over the one moment that shattered my Camp Rock heart was all over in a one-and-a-half-hour set.
Thank you, Jonas Brothers, for accidentally breaking my heart by starring in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and restoring it by performing at the Houston Rodeo.
This week, give your inner child some attention by listening to your favorite throwbacks.