Franklin Jonas Is Having His Moment, and He Proved It Twice in One Night

SoundCheck Team
Jun 8
4 min read

Singer kneels onstage singing into a mic before a teal Franklyn Jonas & The Rvtns backdrop, under warm spotlights. — *Franklin Jonas kneels on the bartop, amid his second set of the night, at Sports & Social. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

A two-set marathon at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland made the case, in real time, for why Franklin Jonas is our #1 artist to watch in 2026.

Article Contributed by LJ Portnoy and Rebecca McDevitt.

Photography by Rebecca McDevitt. Videography by LJ Portnoy.

Black-and-white crowd cheers as a man stands on a platform with arms raised under neon ceiling lights in a nightclub. — *Franklin Jonas dancing with the crowd during his second set of the night, at the Sports & Social, within the Hanover, MD Casino. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

By the time Franklin Jonas leapt off the platform at Sports & Social and up onto the bar top, striding across tabletops, twirling audience members mid-song, and leaning down to grab every hand within reach, it was obvious the room could no longer contain him. A small stage had been set. He needed the whole casino.

Man with microphone serenades a smiling woman at a lively nightclub as crowd claps and films. — *Franklin Jonas shaking hands with the crowd, during his second set of the night, at the Sports & Social, within the Hanover, MD Casino. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

That kind of night doesn't come around often. SoundCheck has covered hundreds of shows, and this one ranks at the very top of the list. Franklin appeared as part of A Night With Nick Jonas at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover, MD, on a bill rounded out by Magnus Ferrell. He delivered not one but two back-to-back performances on June 6, and somewhere across those twelve to fourteen songs, he reminded everyone in earshot exactly why his is a name worth remembering.

Grounded, grateful, and completely Franklin Jonas

Male singer in a white shirt stands at a microphone on a purple-lit stage, looking focused under bright spotlights. — *Franklin Jonas performs in Hanover, MD - The Hall at Live! Casino and Hotel, with the Byzantines, pictured Tim & Aidan. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

What sets Franklin apart isn't volume or flash. It's sincerity. There's a drive to him and a gratitude that reads as completely genuine. He's entirely unbothered by the fame surrounding him, never cocky, and grounded in every sense of the word. He's surrounded by one of the realest teams we've come across, people who show up for him and work alongside him, and that warmth radiates straight off the stage.

Set One: Live! At The Hall

Three musicians perform on a dark stage, singing and playing guitar and banjo under bright starburst lights. — *Franklin Jonas performs in Hanover, MD - The Hall at Live! Casino and Hotel, with the Byzantines, pictured Tim & Aidan. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

The night opened at The Hall, where Franklin packed roughly six or seven songs into a tight set of about 25 to 30 minutes. He moved easily between unreleased material, including the fan favorite "Theodora," and the singles that have begun to define him, with "Road Soda" and "Break the Levee" among them.

Franklin Jonas plays with a room the way some performers only dream of. From the pit to the back row, he moved to the beat of his own drum, drawing the crowd into his world without ever seeming to try -- and SoundCheck can confirm, even the pit wasn't safe from his pull.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3kOrG9zRX4

Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines videography from his performance at The Hall at Live! Casino and Hotel. | Videography by LJ Portnoy (@ljportnoy)

Singer in a white shirt performs on a dark stage, eyes closed, gripping a microphone, with tattoos visible on his arms. — *Franklin Jonas performs in Hanover, MD - The Hall at Live! Casino and Hotel. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

Set Two: Sports & Social

Singer in a white shirt sings into a microphone, pointing upward on a stage with glowing crowd screens behind him. — *Franklin Jonas belts out his tracks, during his second set of the night, at Sports & Social. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

Later in the evening, Franklin gave the casino a second show, this one at Sports & Social, the sports bar tucked inside the property. He started on a modest little platform, but a song or two in, it was clear that platform was never going to hold him. So he didn't let it. He burst onto the bar top and turned the entire space into his stage, jumping table to table, spinning fans, shaking hands, and handing out a reason to smile to everyone he passed.

Another six or seven songs followed, digging into deeper cuts like "Cherub" before he closed, as he always does, on "Break the Levee." From the first strum to the final cry, delivered off-mic, he had every single person in that room.

His charisma, his charm, the full force of his personality: he leaves none of it backstage.

And here's the part that stays with you. He's exactly the same person on that bar top as he is off it. That's craft. That's main-character energy. That's the whole point.

Our Pick For 2026 Artist to Watch

Energetic singer with raised arm and microphone performs beside a banjo player on a dark stage lit purple and white. — *Franklin Jonas performs in Hanover, MD - The Hall at Live! Casino and Hotel, with the Byzantines, pictured Aidan. | Photography by Rebecca McDevitt (@rebeccajeanlimitedphotography*).

Franklin Jonas is having his moment, and bearing witness to someone stepping so fully and so publicly into their own light is a rare thing. He's our 2026 artist to watch, full stop. He's SoundCheck's mission statement wrapped in a warm hug, and we could not be more thrilled to see what comes next as he readies his first headlining run, The First of Many Tour.