Nick Jonas may be most well known as a multi-platinum selling recording artist and actor, but for one night in June in Pittsburgh you could add hero to the list.
As he took to the Liberty Avenue stage around 11:15 PM at Pride in the Street, you would never know it was his second show of the night; he’d played the WBLI Summer Jam in New York City at 7:30pm before taking a private plane to Pittsburgh.
When Pride in the Street performer Iggy Azalea notified the Delta Foundation of her cancellation the week of the event, a full on scramble was in force to find a substitute. “The cancellation immediately made international news and when Nick saw it in the media he called and said he would like to come and perform,” said the president of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh. “He has been a supporter of the LGBT community, and he wanted to make sure that the community and Pittsburgh had a Pride event that they could be proud of.”
“When I heard about the difficult position Pittsburgh Pride was in just days before their event, I knew I had to find a way to help,” said Jonas. “I was excited to do what I could to support the LGBT community in Pittsburgh.”
Despite the short notice, Jonas fans turned out droves for the concert/fundraiser.
In addition to Jonas, other performers included DJ Digital Dave, DJ Strobe, Thea Trix, singer Michelle “Mish” Johnson, Chance Encounters, Rhythm ‘n’ Steel, and Aaron Pfeiffer.
The LGBT community has been a part of Jonas’ life since he was a child. By the age of 8 he was performing on Broadway where he landed roles in several shows including “A Christmas Carol,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Beauty and the Beast,” Les Misérables” and many more. In 2002, Jonas contributed a song on the annual Broadway “Equity Fights AIDS” album, Broadway’s Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4. In an interview with Advocate last November, Nick discussed his connection to the LGBT community, “I developed a lot of close gay friends at a very young age when I was performing on Broadway,” he says. “Being around them definitely shaped the way I saw the world and taught me to accept people from all walks of life. I love that this was a part of my upbringing and my exposure to the world.”
Under this year’s theme “All You Need is Love” Pittsburgh Pride is the largest diversity festival for the LGBT community in Pennsylvania. Each June, cities around the world pause to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, which is recognized as the beginning of the human rights movement. Pittsburgh’s first Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade occurred on June 17, 1973 and had 150 participants. The 2015 event had 110,000 attendees making it the 4th largest special event in town.
SET LIST
Chains
Wilderness
I Want You
Teacher
Closer
Roses (Cover)
Numb
Take Over
Jealous