Another check on my bucket list: Meeting Joe Jonas - Part 1

not the best photo, but at least I was in one frame with this dude. 

It is no secret to those who know me well that I used to have quite an obsession for a band called Jonas Brothers. At least until they decided to disband and build new musical careers from scratch. Even then I still love them as people tremendously; they have somehow become a major part of my teenage years and I just refuse to move on. After all, other than the music they made for Jonas Brothers, I love Kevin, Joe, and Nick as individuals just as much.

During my fangirling years, I had dreamt countless times of meeting the 3 bros and watching their concert, but none of those dreams came to be because they were always in places and countries beyond my reach. Even during their last years as a band, Jonas Brothers never once visited Indonesia although they did visit Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. It was understandable then that I was pretty dang sure I would never see them perform live or just catch a glimpse of them in front of my eyes. But nothing is impossible. I finally got to see one third of the bros: Joe Jonas - my ultimate boy crush. This post is the story of how it came to be.

After leaving the band of brothers, Joe went on forming his own band called DNCE with 3 other members: a former Jobros backup band drummer Jack Lawless, a Korean girl guitarist Jinjoo, and a funky bass player Cole Wittle. Together they make groovy music and soon becomes quite a household name with their hit singles like Cake By The Ocean, Toothbrush, Body Moves, and Kissing Strangers. Naturally, I know all of these by heart because I follow Joe everywhere he goes and tries to never miss on his latest projects, though I'm being a silent supporter this time instead of a vocal fangirl -- it probably has something to do with age, I'm not sure.

DNCE has been big in east Asian countries such as Japan and Korea since its debut, and the band has made numerous performances there. For Southeast Asian Countries, however, the fame came a bit late, but it came anyway. This year they kicked off their SE Asian tour in Malaysia and will be visiting Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. Indonesia? It was never on their list. Not many people are die-hard DNCE fans here. DNCE songs can be heard everywhere on the radio, but the band doesn't have strong followers, and most of the fans are ex-Jobros fans, including me. I was disappointed that once again I missed the chance of seeing Joe.

Life is full of surprises, they say, and I cannot agree more. Unexpectedly, when Spotify announced its first music concert in Indonesia labeled Spotify On Stage, DNCE was included as one of the line-ups. I was shaken. "Here it is. It is time. I can finally see him," I thought, never stopped playing thousand scenarios in my head. The concert itself was free, all I needed to do was to secure my spot by mutilating the 'get the ticket' button on Spotify's website, trying to win against all odds. Did I get it? No. Luck was not on my side despite the late-up nights I wasted on the website in an attempt to lock my spot. My dream was once again shattered -- or so I thought.

When I almost gave up on watching the concert, a text message from my phone provider came, telling that I won a ticket to the concert. I freaked out. Upon arriving at home, I bought return flight tickets immediately with no second thought as I knew this opportunity might not come a second time.  I just needed to see Joe, I wanted nothing else. Even if I had to watch the show alone, it was fine with me.

Fast forward to the day of the concert. I flew to Jakarta on August 9 on a 9.55 flight that was due to arrive at 11.15 am. My original plan was to go straight to the hotel and to the venue to line up as early as possible. But then I got an info that DNCE's flight would arrive at 11.20 from KL. It was such a fated coincidence. Soon I found myself sprinting to catch a glimpse of them in the airport with a friend of mine from another city. That was how I saw him - Joe Jonas, in front of my very eyes, exactly like I imagined him to be, just like all the photos and posters I have in my collection.

Did I speak to him? Of course not. I was too star-struck to even mutter a simple hi. I was just waving my hands like idiots to the band when I saw them. I didn't even think of pulling out my phone to snap a picture. Fortunately, my friend was better at this meeting-celebrities kind of thing, and we ended up taking a selfie together, the three of us. The result is honestly only half-decent; the picture is blurry, and Joe is out of frame you can only see half his face - not that it matters. I met him, for crying out loud. He was in front of my eyes, pristine clear. No obstructions, no distractions. It was definitely the best day of my life. Period.

this was us after DNCE left the airport. We were over the moon.