Before Jingle Ball, Nick Jonas pops into Tampa Starbucks, buys coffee for fans

The most exclusive pop concert in Tampa on Saturday wasn't the 93.3-FLZ Jingle Ball at Amalie Arena. Nor was it Zedd's after-party at the Ritz Ybor.

No, the hottest spot in town was the Starbucks at the corner of Westshore and Kennedy, where Nick Jonas popped in to buy drinks and play a couple of acoustic songs.

Jonas tweeted about the surprise appearance around 3 p.m., saying he was heading to Starbucks "for a little holiday surprise around 3:30pm. See you there?"

A mass of screaming fans greeted him, and he repaid their kindness with a little of his own.

"I'm buying you coffee," he said in a clip posted to his Instagram Stories. "How's that?"

The appearance, which came hours before Jonas performed at the Jingle Ball, was a joint promotion for Starbucks' #GiveGood campaign and drinkware company Ember Technologies. Jonas even flashed his own Ember mug at the counter.

"I've been working with Ember for a while now," he said. "I'm a big fan of what they do myself. I think you would be too, if you're looking for a holiday gift."

Jonas then grabbed an acoustic guitar to play a couple of songs, including Home, and handed out some gift cards. Yes, even pop stars give out Starbucks gift cards for Christmas.

"Happy holidays, everyone," he said. "See you tonight."

— Jay Cridlin