The bond between Shannon and Jared moves me deeply. In my opinion, it was most apparent at the one show Shannon had to miss. It was fascinating to watch first-hand the way Jared made sure his brother was there with him, with us, even though he was a thousand miles away. Jared wasn’t just carrying that laptop around for fun. He needed Shannon with him. By the end of the night, when Jared puts his face right up to the screen and sings “these lessons that - we’ve learned here” to Shannon like that… It still gives me goosebumps. And melts my heart. Maybe it’s just me, but when I see Jared look to Shannon, even through a laptop, I see a kid who depends on his big brother for… everything. The Springs show really brought home for me the extent to which Shannon is Jared’s rock. It has colored my perception of those two ever since.
Ever since then, I started noticing those little moments when they exchange a glance, especially during a performance. Like during MTV Unplugged. The look in Jared’s eyes, when he turns to Shannon as the song gets going, to make sure they are together. In sync. I see just the slightest hint of uncertainty in Jared’s eyes until he makes eye contact with Shannon. He gets the beat from Shannon, then everything’s okay and the song takes over.
It blows me away, how different they are, yet how close they are. And what they have created between the two of them. And I’m not just talking about the music.
