DNCE’s Joe Jonas a standout in ‘In the Mix’ concert

DNCE with lead vocalist Joe Jonas—SMART MUSIC LIVE

The tribal chants of the song “Circle of Life” from the film “The Lion King” echoed across the venue, before swelling and morphing into pounding electronic beats. And then came out Joe Jonas, the lead vocalist of the disco-rock group DNCE, carrying a stuffed animal. He lifted it up—as Rafiki did with Simba—and drew raucous cheers.

As it turned out, the band’s entrance would perfectly encapsulate the rest of DNCE’s set at this year’s “In the Mix” concert—random, zany, silly and always very fun.

The band, which is also composed of guitarist JinJoo Lee, bassist Cole Whittle and drummer Jack Lawless, doesn’t take itself too seriously. It showed in the quirky outfits the members wore and in the unrelenting playfulness with which they performed their spunky brand of funk-infused pop music.

They never stayed still. They knelt, lay down and jumped; they ran, danced and goofed around, as they churned out close to 10 cheeky, head-bopping disco tunes, including their hits, “Cake by the Ocean” and “Toothbrush,” as well as their new single, “Kissing Strangers,” which had Cole—whose torso is tattooed with fake six-pack demarcations—taking on the rap parts originally recorded by Nicki Minaj.

DNCE also gave the ’90s kids in the audience at the SM Mall of Asia Arena something to cheer about, as it covered such songs as “No Scubs” by TLC, “Wannabe” by Spice Girls and “Oops!…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears.

Joe, who looked like he was channeling an odd Super Mario-Freddie Mercury hybrid with his red and white outfit and ’70s-inspired “pornstache,” proved to be a solid vocalist, who could creatively alter his songs’ melodies on the fly. Toward the end of the set, which was equal parts gig, cosplay and college party, Joe waved the Philippine flag, much to the fans’ delight.

Another standout artist on the “In the Mix” roster was
the Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson. While her music is very much current—dance and electro-pop ditties suited for clubs—her performance style evokes that of ’90s girl-next-door pop girl.

She tackled one banger after another: “Never Forget You,” “Make that Money Girl,” “Symphony,” “Lush Life”—each sprinkled with dance breaks, where she pulled off sassy choreographed moves. The 19-year-old recording artist possesses a pixie-like tone, but is more than capable of belting, which helped her songs’ catchy choruses soar even higher.

Zara Larsson

Zara also showed grit. Midway “Ain’t My Fault,” she walked off the stage, leaving the crowd wondering. Later, she admitted that she wasn’t feeling well and had to throw up backstage. Still, she returned onstage and finished her set as emphatically as she started it.

As expected, the act that received the most resounding reception was the event’s headliner, the young Australian pop group 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), whose thousands of supporters dominated the audience.

The fan girls, most of whom were in their early teens, were indefatigable—shrieking, singing and acting out the words to the group’s accessible, pop-punk-inflected songs, including “Girls Talk Boys,” “Wasted,” “Vapor,” “Disconnected,” “She’s Kinda Hot” and a cover of The Romantics’ “What I Like About You.”

Joe Jonas

Composed of frontman Luke Hemmings, guitarist Michael Clifford, drummer Ashton Irwin and bassist Calum Hood, 5SOS infuses pop boy group appeal into a conventional rock band setup. The music was mostly anthemic and brought to mind sprightly theme songs of ’90s coming-of-age TV shows.

Presented by MMI Live and Smart Music Live, “In the Mix 2017” likewise featured performances from the Irish rock band Two Door Cinema Club, soulful British singer Dua Lipa, and Daya, who was featured in the Grammy-winning song “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers.