Joe Jonas nearly missed the Jonas Brothers’ halftime show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after flight disruption left him stranded in Dubai hours before the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia.
Nick and Kevin Jonas appeared at a fan event at the MCG without their brother on Thursday, where a recorded message explained why he was absent.
“I am in Dubai. I was delayed in London,” Joe said in the video. “I think there was some sort of radar issue so every single flight was delayed and cancelled. So I am staying here until 2:45am.”
His brothers told fans that Joe still wanted to attend and was expected to reach Melbourne on Friday morning in time for the performance, which took place during the San Francisco 49ers’ meeting with the Los Angeles Rams.
The NFL had billed the appearance by Nick, Joe and Kevin as part of a landmark sporting occasion at the MCG. The 49ers won the game 27-7 in front of 100,021 spectators, the seventh-largest crowd for a regular-season NFL match.
The band performed five songs, including Burnin’ Up, Sucker and Listen When Sad, according to a Jonas Brothers fan account on X.
The choice of act prompted a mixed reaction from American football supporters. Will Compton, a podcaster and former Tennessee Titans player, joked on X: “This Jonas Brothers performance is why we don’t hit quarterbacks anymore.”
Other fans were less enthusiastic. “I’m sorry but we don’t need a Jonas Brothers halftime concert in week 1,” one wrote, while another complained that the performance was “making a mockery of the game” and urged viewers to treat it like a genuine regular-season fixture.
Action Network HQ’s Sean Koerner offered an even blunter verdict, writing: “Sending the Jonas Brothers to do the halftime in Australia is a war crime.”
Some viewers, however, welcomed the unexpected crossover between pop music and American football. One fan said his wife had asked him to turn up the halftime show after hearing the Jonas Brothers were performing, only to be told they were from New Jersey rather than Australia.
“Jonas Brothers half time show,” wrote Lexi Osborne, host of the Kingdom of Queens podcast. “I am in HEAVEN.”
