Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato meet fans in Aurora

Deborah Ortega says she's always found hope in Demi Lovato's music, even during hard times.

"I connect with a lot of her music because growing up, I've been through a lot of stuff," the 19-year-old Sandwich resident said.

That passion for Lovato's music led Ortega and a flock of others like her to wait for hours Tuesday in the August heat to see Lovato and fellow musician Nick Jonas during a brief appearance at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora as a part of their Honda Civic Tour: Future Now.

In a quick Q&A to help promote their concert at the Allstate Arena, Lovato and Jonas talked about song inspirations, "Pokemon Go," (Lovato said she has caught a few) and Jonas' appearance on the television show "Running Wild With Bear Grylls."

They also interacted briefly with the crowd, which included a goodly number of screaming teens.

Although the appearance lasted only about 10 minutes, many of the hundreds of fans said it was worth the long wait just to get a close-up glimpse of the stars.

Many of those fans had passed the time by dancing and fanning themselves. Some held homemade signs in hopes the singers would see them. One such placard said "Demi Lovato, Marry me?"

Ortega said she'd love to meet Lovato and, if she did, she knows exactly what she'd ask the "Cool for the Summer" singer.

"I would be definitely ask if I could do her makeup," Ortega said. "It would be an honor for me. It would be a dream come true."

Ashley Luoma, 17, and Katharine Quintanar, 18, of St. Charles, were at the mall starting at 9:50 a.m. in preparation for the 1 p.m. appearance.

"The wait was long," Luoma said, "but it was worth it."

Quintanar said it was cool to see the celebrities up close.

"You usually don't see them live, you see them on TV," Quintanara said. "They walked right past me."

Quintanar said the singers are easy to relate to because "they talk from the heart."

Phil Witsel, area manager of Chicago Premium Outlets, said the mall was one of 10 Simon Premium Outlets locations to have Lovato and Jonas appear on-site. Simon Premium Outlets is the retail sponsor of the tour.

The mall prepared for the appearance with the help of its security team and Aurora police. Mall staff members handed out bottles of water to help keep fans hydrated.

"A lot of it is just thinking through where everything is going to take place and making it the safest possible venue," Witsel said.

The concert tour is taking the singers to more than 40 venues in the U.S. and Canada. It started in June and will end in September.