The Jonas Brothers are headlining the NHL’s Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium this February. And yes they are still a band if you are wondering. They’ve been together on and off for almos twenty years and they are currently in the midst of a year long world tour. Yes, they are doing a world tour.
This is not to say that the Jonas Brothers do not have a fan base, but it is hard to imagine that there is a large crossover between them and hockey fans. They won’t bring in young fans because the JoBros fans are generally ones who grew up with them on Disney Channel. So people around the age of 30. Their fanbase is mostly female, but there are a lot of female hockey fans. But the most glaring issue with the JoBros is their music is bad.
The NHL does not like to hire good musicians for their entertainment. And I get that they are not going to hire Super Bowl half time show entertainment, but the JoBros or bands like Green Day are either bad, ten years past their prime (at least) or both. It’s like the NHL cannot find a way to stay with the times and that is quite possibly a budget thing, but also makes the NHL look out of touch.
If they NHL wants to use the Stadium Series to help draw in new fans or reignite passions from old fans, I do not think their current musical selections will draw any additional eyes. I am not saying that the NHL needs to go with someone like Rihanna, but they do need to ensure their musical guests are of an interest to their target fan base and the JoBros (and other performers from the past). They NHL needs to get with the times and find some younger musicians to perform for them. The JoBros are fine as a one-off, but they are part of a much longer pattern with the NHL picking performers who are not in the public conscious.
So does the NHL hate good music? I think they hate new music or modern music. But they also love Cotton Eyed Joe, so maybe they hate good music as well.