Devout Jonas Brother devoted fan of decidedly irreverent Blink-182

The Jonas Brothers, whose concert tomorrow night at the San Diego Sports Arena sold out all 10,500 seats in just 15 minutes, are certifiably the biggest teen-pop band in the land.
The group, which teams devoutly Christian brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, specializes in upbeat pop-rock songs and wholesome power ballads. Its photogenic members, whose “Camp Rock” is the most viewed TV movie in the history of the Disney Channel on Demand, can set pre-teen and teenaged hearts aflutter in an instant.

It is for these reasons that fans and detractors alike may be surprised to learn that one of this trio's biggest artistic influences is – no way, dude! – San Diego's now-defunct blink-182.

Yes, that's the same blink-182 whose proudly crude stage patter celebrated a variety of bodily functions and sexual acts, and whose repertoire included such non-teen-pop-friendly songs as “Dammit,” “Dysentery Gary,” “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” and “Does My Breath Smell?”

“Musically, I was definitely into blink,” Kevin, the oldest Jonas brother at 21, said last week from Hollywood. “Travis Barker is one of the greatest drummers ever, and all the guys in blink are really good songwriters. I grew up listening to their music, and they definitely played a part in the (sound of) early Jonas Brothers.”

But don't jump to any conclusions about Kevin and his brothers, all three of whom wear “purity rings” to affirm their vows to remain chaste until they marry.

Kevin is quick to note that he tuned out blink's antics, which included a video for “What's My Age Again,” which featured the band's streaking naked through a Southern California neighborhood and sharing the spotlight with porn star Janine Lindemulder.

“I didn't pay much attention to blink's behavior,” Kevin stressed. “I was just listening to the music,”

Listening to the music – and swooning over the three, fresh-faced siblings who make it – has almost become a national pastime for millions of the Jonas Brothers' young fans.

Released in August, “A Little Bit Longer,” the group's third album, sold 517,000 copies in its first week and entered the nationalBillboard sales charts at No. 1. Only three other albums this year – by Lil' Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay, respectively – had higher opening-week sales.

“Longer” is currently holding down the No. 11 spot in Billboard, while last year's self-titled “Jonas Brothers” is No. 42. Next spring, the Disney Channel series, “J.O.N.A.S.!” will debut. Disney also filmed the band's two August shows in Anaheim for release early next year in theaters as a 3-D concert film.

The Jonas Brothers' spring tour sold out their 40-plus arena concerts. Meanwhile, this fall's “Burning Up the Road” tour, which ends Nov. 30 in Los Angeles, is living up to its name in more ways than one.

One national ticket resale agency is now demanding $1,604 for a pair of second-row seats for tomorrow's San Diego Sports Arena concert. (The tickets were originally priced at $79.50, plus service charges.)

The same agency is also asking $2,074, each, for a pair of pre-concert “meet-and-greet” tickets with the band, even though no such tickets actually exist. (Only contest winners are admitted to meet-and-greets, for which no tickets are sold, a band spokesman said.)

At any price, fans at tomorrow's show here can count on a heady experience that could leave their ears ringing for days, although not as a result of the music.

“We honestly cannot hear sometimes because the audiences are so loud,” Kevin said. “On our last tour, we measured the volume of the audience at 119 decibels, and that was after just one song.

“There was one incident where we couldn't hear ourselves, so we were singing in an entirely different key than the instruments. It gets soloud at a Jonas Brothers concert!”

For the record, the roar of a Boeing 727 jet taking off is a mere 98 decibels, and The Who's 1976 U.S. tour set a volume record for rock concerts at 120 decibels.

But even when the din of the fans prevents the Jonas Brothers from staying in key, they use the crowd's response to gauge their performances.

“You can feel how the audiences react,” Kevin said. “For us, it's about the performance and the reaction. We feed off the energy. And no matter how enthusiastic they are, we can tell if we're playing well or not.”

The fact that the Jonas Brothers actually play their own instruments and write their own songs is a rarity in the image-is-everything world of teen-pop. Yet, while the trio appears to now be sitting on the top of the world, Kevin, Joe and Nick know all too well what it's like to fail.

In late 2006, the Jonas Brothers were dropped by Columbia Records after their debut album, “It's About Time,” sold just 60,000 copies. Undaunted, the brothers revamped their musical approach and – with their dad, Kevin Jonas Sr., driving the band's van – performed in small clubs for audiences of 100 or less.

Faster than you can say “S.O.S.” or “Hold On,” to cite the titles of two of their breakthrough hits, the Jonas Brothers had a new deal with Hollywood Records, nabbed the opening spot on Miley Cyrus' sold-out 2007 tour and released a second album that fared much better than their first.

“We wouldn't change our paths for anything,” Kevin said. “We really learned so much, and the journey has been amazing. From the day we got dropped by our record label, we tried to live off our merch and get enough money from each show to have gas to get back home.

“It taught us to appreciate everything we have in life. Through the heartache, we started writing and preparing for our second album. So, when it happened for us, we knew what we wanted. The vision became clear. It wasn't there yet, but everyone could understand what it was. The goal back then, and now, is still to do the best we can, to write the best music we can, to inspire other people to be creative, and to have fun and enjoy every single minute.

“We wake up every morning, completely blown away that we get to do this. It's pretty incredible.”

DETAILS

The Jonas Brothers, with Demi Lovato, Honor Society and Big Rob When: 7 p.m. tomorrow Where: San Diego Sports Arena Tickets: Sold out Phone: (619) 220-TIXS Online: ticketmaster.com