Copious Notes

The Jonas Brothers take the stage at Rupp Arena Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Photos by Jason Sankovitch.

I got a lot of sympathy yesterday.

It was all in good fun, as I posted on my Facebook page and Twitter that I was reviewing the Jonas Brothers show at Rupp Arena last night.

“Ummm…sorry?” one local musician wrote, and my sister concurred.

Another friend wrote, “Some people will do ANYTHING for a buck…..hahaha ;-}”

Oh, when it comes to doing things for a buck, I have to say this is a pretty good gig. And if you have this gig, being the critic covering the biggest concert of the summer is where you want to be, so you will never hear me complain about having to go to see the Jonas Brothers or any other act.

The Jonas Brothers fans were thrilled to see the dreamy trio on stage.

Of course, it is usually Walter Tunis covering the big Rupp concerts with a sharp critical eye and years of experience. This one happened to fall to me because I have a daughter who just passed out of the the Jonas generation, so the Disney Channel tween culture is very familiar to me. I’ve watched the Jonas Brothers grow from guests on Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus’ show and tour to a marquee act in their own right, and was even vaguely familiar with their initial foray into Christian rock.

As a critic part of your job is to step back and see and appreciate things for what they are. The Jonas Brothers are the latest teen heartthrobs, backed by the entertainment empire of Disney, and they brought a show that pulled out all of the stops. I sat next to a 43-year-old musician and dad from Louisville and our jaws were dropped a few times by what the JoBros — or, to be acurate, their technical directors and designers — put on stage. I would have liked some more spontaneity and soul. There was little room here for the surprises or improvisations I have treasured in concerts by some of my favorite artists. But no doubt, many a teen and pre-teen girl walked out of Rupp last night thinking they had seen the greatest thing ever.

And there is the point here where the critic needs to remind cynical adults that every generation has its teen idols, and some of them were even the Chairman of the Board, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Fab Four. Am I saying the Jonas Brothers are going to be the next Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or Beatles? Hardly. The jury is still very early in deliberations on that, and in the long run, the fraternal trio will do well to be as enduring as The Monkees or Duran Duran. Time and the Jonas Brothers talent and public taste will tell the tale of how far they go. I do think they have musical and songwriting talent, and fairly winning stage presences. But the stigma of being someone’s favorite when they were 10 can be a tough thing to overcome. The daughter who familiarized me with the Jonas Brothers world has already moved on, had no interest in last night’s show, but really wants tickets to the Kings of Leon in October.

This is why any artist that makes most of his or her cash off the delirious excitement of girls who are too young to drive would be well advised to invest that money wisely, because the trip from arena stages to the where-are-they now category can be as quick as fashions change and those shoes become so five minutes ago.

And adults will always look at the flavor of the moment with some disdain. As one friend wrote, “If you can’t poke a little fun at teenage millionaires, who can you pick on…? : )”

Black Eyed Peas are Will.i.am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap and Fergie.

Years from now, I can guarantee there are two songs that will zap me back to the summer of 2009 whenever I hear them.

First is a ubiquitous hit: the Black Eyed Peas’ comeback single Boom Boom Pow.

It has everything a summer song needs. It’s not terribly serious, basically a cooler-than-thou anthem with a memorable line to make the point: “I’m so 3008, you so two-thousand-and-late.”

It has that time-honored beat, and you can dance to it, plus it’s a little bit naughty. There are also some great passages, such as Fergie with one of the greatest band-­member exhortations since Bruce used to call out Clarence: “Will.i.am drop the beat now!”

Silly, dancy, sweaty, it could exude summer sun in an ice storm.

Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche is a graduate of the prestigious percussion program at the University of Kentucky.

The other has similar qualities but probably plays to a different crowd: Wilco’s You Never Know.

Granted, this George Harrison-esque track could pop you back to the 1970s if you’re not careful. But the Wilco track is so 2009, with the wistful chorus “I don’t care anymore” and a general message to let life happen without worry and pretension.

What could be more ­summer?

Also, in the fingertips of keyboardist Mikael ­Jorgensen, the song has a propulsive rhythm that could drive your car down the highway all by itself - preferably a rural highway where you don’t have to take an exit to grab a pop at a country store.

Being a good driving song always adds to a summer song’s cachet.

Not every summer ­produces a great summer song. And in many ways, it is a personal thing.

For instance, Def ­Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me will always snap me back to ­summer 1988. It has a lot of those basic ­ingredients: catchy, fun, naughty.

Def Leppard: They're hot, sticky sweet, from their heads to their feet.

It also was a great ­summer early in my ­college years, spent mostly at the beach with some of the best friends of my life. One friend, Dave, absolutely loved Sugar and would crank it up and sing along any time it came on the radio.

I popped out quick ­Twitter and Facebook ­questions asking people what they thought was the song of this summer, and there ­definitely were some ­personal picks. One friend who has a trio of pre- and early ­elementary ­schoolchildren said the ­VeggieTales’ version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight has been in heavy rotation in her home. Another mentioned Brother, Can You Spare a Dime - not current, but a comment on our current situations.

Then, there’s personal taste: shouts to Idlewild’s To Be Forgotten and the Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody.

But I did feel like I had a proverbial finger on the pulse of the culture with numerous Boom Boom Pow responses along with the Peas’ ­current No. 1 single, I’ve Gotta ­Feeling. I also had a bunch of Wilco responses, though more about other fine tracks on the June release Wilco (the ­Album). That makes sense, as BEP is more of a singles band and Wilco is more album-oriented.

Consensus is another thing that helps cement a tune as a summer song.

A few years after the summer of ‘88, I was back on the beach with a different assortment of friends reading a Washington Post Magazine article about Def Leppard as a guilty pleasure, and we got to talking about what a great summer song Pour Some Sugar on Me was.

Unanimity.

And years from now, I suspect Boom Boom Pow and Wilco will be as summer of ‘09 as Michael ­Jackson’s ­passing and “cash for ­clunkers.”

Herald-Leader photographer Charles Bertram shot this tree limb in Danville this morning.

Since signing up for Facebook and Twitter last year, it’s been fascinating to watch how events can unfold across status updates, like this ice storm, which now appears to be giving Lexington the same treatment counties just south of here were getting earlier. How do I know? Lexington status updates like these:

. . . watching a gigantic pine tree tip towards her neighbor’s house. The neighbor is not concerned.

. . . neighbor a few streets away has lost power. Oh no!

. . . is trying not to feel wimpy about skipping the Alejandro Escovedo concert tonight.

. . . watching the lights flicker.

. . . If anyone knows my intern . . . tell her the LPO office is closed Wednesday! I can’t find her email.

. . . is listening to the first of the trees fall - this ain’t good.

. . . electricity just went out. Of course this happens on a good tv night!

. . . 32.4º! But still hearing limbs fall outside. And sirens.

and my favorite:

. . . started out with a block of ice and chisled it into a working automobile! OK, it was my car to begin with.

Sounds like we could have a long night, Lexington. I’ll be interested to read about it on Twitter and Facebook in the morning.