Burnin' Up!

My plane had barely left the runway at Denver International Airport when my sparkling (and pricey!?) new IPOD shuffled onto ‘Burnin Up’ - the Jonas Brothers most successful single (so far!) I smiled at the seemingly coincidental moment – here I was headed to Phoenix for the ‘Kristi Yamaguchi Friends & Family’ show this Sunday night at the U.S. Airways Arena and there couldn’t have been a better song to kick it off!

“I'm slippin' into the lava
And I'm tryin' to keep from going under
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?
Cuz I'm burnin' up
Burnin' up for you baby”

I’m picturing the trail of broken teen hearts the Jonas Brothers left as they sold out show after show across America on their hit summer tour ‘Burnin’ Up.’ I can only imagine what the nearly sold out show on Sunday night will bring… get-up-and-dance tunes, screaming girls and, of course, unbelievable figure skating routines by national, world and Olympic champions! To top it all off, ‘Camp Rock’ co-star Demi Lovato and Jordan Pruitt will make appearances which might convince more than a few teen boys to do the same.

The coincidences didn’t end there – eager to chat with my fellow passengers and find out why they were headed to Phoenix, I tucked my IPOD away and struck up a conversation. The gal and her young daughter next to me were headed home from a family vacation in Washington DC. I tried not to laugh while they talked about the ridiculous desert heat (it hits 117 degrees here!!!) and couldn’t help but let out a shocked chuckle when I heard something along the lines of “110 degrees is nice.” I’m skeptical.

Curious to see a candid response to the mere mention of the Jonas Brothers, I told my teen seatmate that the trio would be performing in Phoenix on Sunday and her hazel eyes lit up… just as I suspected… the Jonas Brothers ARE inescapable. She gladly pulled out a magazine she was reading and sure enough – those trademark boy band curls were the first thing I spotted on the cover. As I flipped through the magazine, she pointed out other teen icons and gave me a glimpse into pop culture today. I realized it’s really not that different from my glory years spent pining over heartthrobs like Lance Bass and Nick Lachey (okay – pining might not be the right word – but I certainly saw my fair share of ‘N Sync concerts).

And I thought to myself – I wonder how long the Jonas Brothers will be around? Would their fate end like Hanson’s from my youth – who Mmmmbopped themselves right out of the spotlight? Would their twenties send them on separate paths in search of bigger dreams (hard to imagine considering their success thus far!) But then my adorable new friend said something that surprised me – “Nick has diabetes and I can’t figure out where he puts his pump when he performs!”

She then proceeded to explain to me how she is learning to live with her new-found diabetes, just like Nick, and do all the fun things kids do. Soccer, swim team, basketball, karate… her activity list is almost as long as my to-do list (which gets longer every day). And I realize what an inspiration Nick has been to my new buddy and the thousands of kids across the U.S. who are learning to not only live with juvenile diabetes, but to thrive. And it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, the Jonas Brothers might be bigger than their music.

(Check out Nick's partnership with Bayer Healthcare: Walk in Nick's Shoes)

Not only will their songs follow today’s teens into their twenties (reminding them of some of the best moments of their childhood like the Backstreet Boys do for me! Football games, first boyfriends, school dances, pep rallies and more)but maybe they will help inspire many kids to overcome some of the toughest obstacles they’ll encounter in their teen years. If I had to guess based on my new little friend’s explanation and her curiosity about Nick’s struggle to cope then I would say I might be right on. They've even set up a foundation called Change for the Children where people can donate to five organizations (like the American Diabetes Association!) and they'll match donations up to $10,000 for each one!

I barely made it to the back cover of the teeny bopper magazine when I had to put my tray up for landing. As I stepped off the plane into the startling desert heat (it was only 95 degrees… does it make me a pansy for complaining??) I felt… inspired. And even though I was ‘burnin’ up’... sorry - pun intended, couldn’t resist… I realized that at 26 years old, I could HARDLY WAIT for what this weekend and the show had in store!

Tickets are almost sold out but a few are still available! You can get them by clicking here. Don’t miss it!

Bayer Healthcare Diabetes Care presents Kristi Yamaguchi Friends & Family

U.S. Airways Arena
Oct. 12, 2008
5 p.m.