If you haven’t heard, the Jonas Brothers are back together and they have quickly risen to pop music fame, once again. Students everywhere are eager for the chance to relive some of their childhood memories.

We had the amazing opportunity to be graced by the Jonas Brothers’ presence here at William Jewell College just a few weeks ago. Student Life, in an unprecedented move, agreed to pay the full amount in order for the band to come – which was, according to our research, a fee of upwards of $25 thousand.

The Jonas Brothers arrived at the College around 5 p.m. and were set to perform at 7 p.m. on a Friday night. The College planned the event so it would not coincide with classes or other Jewell activities.

Sadly, only 7 Jewell students managed to show up to the concert. The Jonas Brothers kept waiting to begin their concert until the estimated 200-300 students came, but they never did.

The school tasked The Hilltop Monitor with surveying students in order to find out why there were such low participation rates.

Christina Kirk, sophomore Oxbridge: Institutions and Policy major, said she did not have a specific reason for not attending the event but felt as though she had other things to do.

“I wasn’t really busy during the event,” Kirk said. “I just usually like to go back to the dorms on Friday and felt I could not change my routine.”

Another student felt as though the school did not give them enough information about the event and cited that as the reason for low attendance.

“I just feel like they didn’t do a good job advertising,” said Savannah Hawley, sophomore Oxbridge: Literature and Theory and French major. “I don’t remember seeing any emails about the event or anything.”

The school insists that it repeatedly sent out emails reminding students of the event and incentivising them with free cardinal dollars, prizes and even free tuition if they showed up. The college will be continuing an investigation into this problem next semester.

Oct. 29, 2013 is a date that broke the hearts of many the world over: the day the Jonas Brothers officially broke up. After cancelling their tour earlier that month, the band deactivated their twitter account and, with seemingly no explanation, ceased to exist.

After the breakup, the brothers opened up about the reasoning behind the split. In short, they wanted to pursue their own interests. They each had ideas about the direction in which they wanted the band to go, and their differences began to put stress on their relationship both as bandmates and brothers.

“We all had our strengths. I focused on mine, which was kind of the business side of things and more about the touring and the creative… Nick was all about the music and Joe was about the entertainment aspect and the music.” Kevin said in a 2016 interview with Oprah, “I think that’s just what made us stronger. But at the same time, it’s also what pulled it apart, which I think is inevitable when you’re working with your family for so long. Things happen.”

The 2013 breakup and cancelled tour also meant the band’s forthcoming album would not be released. At this point in their career, the band had released four studio albums that gave the world hits such as “Lovebug,” “Year 3000,” “S.O.S,” “Kids of the Future” and “Burnin’ Up.”

That changed when the Jonas Brothers reunited and released “Sucker” March 1 – the band’s first single in six years.

The well-celebrated release garnered plenty of attention. In addition to the immense media coverage, James Corden declared March 4-11 “Jonas Brothers Week” on  “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”

“Sucker” debuted No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – the group’s first ever No. 1 as well as the second group ever, and first in this century, to debut No. 1 on the Hot 100. The band’s next highest Top 100 ranking was “Burnin’ Up,” which debuted at No.5 in 2008.

The frenzy surrounding the band’s reunification and release of “Sucker” is not unearned. Not only is the song extremely catchy, it represents the growth the brothers have made – both as a band and as individuals.

The tone and message of “Sucker” hail back to the group’s previous hits – the quintessential Jonas Brothers song discusses love and the antics that surround that emotion.

The Jonas Brothers managed to avoid the common pitfall of reunited bands: trying too hard to be what they once were. There is no way that the group – in completely different stages of life than they were six years ago – could recreate their old sound, nor should they. Instead, their new single has aged with them.

While the new single continues the Jonas Brothers’ tradition of love-centered lyrics, it is no longer the immature picture of teenage first-love. “Sucker” represents the maturity of the band, and the loves currently in their lives – the lyrics declaring that, no matter how mature the men get, they will always be rendered helpless by the love they have for their significant others.

In addition to the lyrics, the song’s rhythm and tune are perfect for jamming out to. In a word, “Sucker” is sunshine – it has the power to brighten up anyone’s day. The single becomes instantly relatable – whether one is actually in love or not – and pulls the listener into its danceable melody and captivating lyrics.

The Jonas Brothers are back – and with a single like “Sucker,” their album is sure to be superb. So pull your old band posters out of your closet, put on your favorite Jonas Brothers song and get ready to enter into a glorious new age of their music.