Future Now Tour (IN & IL)
Samantha Beggins
Mike Posner with Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato on the Future Now Tour in Banker’s Life Fieldhouse (IN) by Kelly Fox and Allstate Arena, Rosemont (IL) by Erin Brown!
Mike Posner
Nick Jonas
Demi Lovato
Words and photos by Kelly Fox
Wednesday night, the Future Now tour featuring Mike Posner, Demi Lovato, and Nick Jonas stopped by Banker’s Life Fieldhouse. If you don’t keep up with pop music, this is likely a blast from the past. Jonas and Lovato are formerly known as Disney Channel stars, with wildly successful careers during their teens. Other than his newest single, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” Mike Posner hasn’t made any particularly large waves in the industry since his smash hit “Cooler than Me.” Yet the crowd drawn to Indianapolis was way too large to consist solely of throwback bingers—all of these 2010’ers have brought their A-game to 2016. Mike Posner started off the show, and despite not having the most energetic of stage presences, he got Indy effectively warmed up during his short set. Juxtaposing “Cooler that Me” right next to “I Took a Pill” was ingenious, due to the lyrical content of the latter. But judging by the audience’s reaction, “Cooler than Me” is anything but a pop song that people forgot.
Nick Jonas then took the stage, although his set was much less of a nostalgia fit. Jonas has a ton of current material out, and has been receiving quite a bit of spotlight. Joined by a few backup dancers and a few guitarists, the former Disney icon proved that he still has a very good handle on how to work a crowd consisting of mostly teenaged girls. He played for just shy of an hour, which likely concerned some fans who weren’t familiar with the setup of the tour, but they weren’t left disappointed.
I will say that some of the projected images on the screens came off as a little strange. Slo-mo sizzling bacon didn’t seem especially relevant, but maybe I just didn’t get it, man.
The best way to describe Lovato’s stage presence is just bold. Strutting out in thigh-high boots and a gold, sparkly bodysuit, the twenty-three year old oozed Confidence—which is what she opened her set with. With a set that reached farther into the past than Jonas’, her performance was a perfectly grown-up rendition of the childhoods of most of the attendees. Her current hits meshed perfectly with sentimental songs from half a decade ago.
The most unique aspect of the tour was that once Demi left the stage, the show wasn’t over. Nick came back out for another short set, and Demi joined him for a few duets. Once Jonas left the stage for the last time, Demi closed with three of her biggest singles, bringing many to tears with “Skyscraper.”
Mothers, younger girls, and millennials alike all came out for a great time and weren’t disappointed. I would mention boys as well, but I don’t think I actually saw any there. Regardless, the setup of the Future Now tour was dynamic and engaging—it may be the future of touring.
