Concertgoer Phillis聽Miles, 82, might be one of Jelly Roll鈥檚 oldest St. 亚洲无码 fans.
She's is certainly one of his biggest, and came in her wheelchair to the Enterprise Center for the megastar鈥檚 sold-out 鈥淏eautifully Broken鈥 tour on Oct. 23. Miles was joined by four generations of her family: her daughter, granddaughter and great-grandson, each clad in Jelly Roll t-shirts and excitedly anticipating Miles hearing her favorite song 鈥淪ave Me.鈥
鈥淗is music has done so much for other people, changed lives and brought more people into God,鈥 Miles says.
Miles and 18,000 other fans packed out the Enterprise Center for a holy-rolling, testimony-fueled, honky-tonk good time with the country boy from Tennessee.
To set the stage for the evening, chart-topping country-rock act Warren Zeiders and rising Midwest country singer Alexandra Kay opened the show.
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Kay kicked things off three minutes before the showtime. Her bubbly demeanor shined from the moment her silver cowboy boots touched the stage. Pink flower petals fluttered on the projector screen as she strutted in her shiny, silver dress, grasped her sparkly mic stand and smiled as a steady heartbeat rhythm emitted from the speakers, perhaps foreshadowing the heartfelt performance she would render.聽
鈥淪t. 亚洲无码, it鈥檚 good to be home,鈥 she said proudly before launching into her song 鈥淏ackroad Therapy.鈥
Born in Waterloo, Ill., about 40 minutes outside of St. 亚洲无码, Kay clearly identifies as a Metro East baddie. She also announced she鈥檒l be headlining her first show at St. 亚洲无码 Music Park on June 20.
There鈥檚 no question that Kay is a rising star. Her performance was strong, with powerhouse vocal on songs like 鈥淓verleave鈥 and 鈥淎ll I鈥檝e Ever Known.鈥 However, muffled audio at the start of her set made it difficult to understand her lyrics. The issue seemed to be resolved by Kay鈥檚 third song. But that wasn鈥檛 the last of the sound issues during Wednesday's聽show.聽
The sound of revving engines and broken static washed over the arena as country-rock heartthrob Warren Zeiders followed Kay. Wearing a black cowboy hat and reflective aviator sunglasses, Zeiders screamed his name into the darkness after singing his desire-fueled anthem 鈥淚ntoxicated.鈥 Then he launched into his new, as-yet-unreleased song 鈥淏ad鈥 that didn鈥檛 seem to impress his fans due to its unfamiliarity.
The highlight of his set was 鈥淵ou for a Reason,鈥 which flexed his vocal range, while he delivered a bold, genuine and emotional performance.
Still, Zeiders' set was confusing at times. He appeared to close out his performance with his summertime hit 鈥淧retty Little Poison,鈥 asking the crowd to sing along as he did an encore of the song鈥檚 chorus before the house lights turned on and the stage went dark. As concertgoers rose from their seats for restroom breaks and concession grabs, Zeiders emerged from the darkness to perform another song, drawing perplexed looks from the crowd.
Concert hosts聽Highlyt and DJ Chill curated high-energy vibes between each set, blending everyone鈥檚 favorite hip-hop songs with some classic pop and country tunes. St. 亚洲无码 native and social media personality Alexholem, known for his online beer-chugging antics, even joined the duo on stage to down a brewski from his boot.
The mix fit the concert since Jelly Roll began his career as a hip-hop artist. Hailing from Antioch, Tenn., Jelly Roll dropped a string of mixtapes before his 2003 hip-hop debut and spent the next decade integrating himself into sub-genres of rap. In 2012, Jelly Roll released his first studio album 鈥淭he Big Sal Story,鈥 capturing the hearts of American hip-hop lovers when he belted, 鈥淵eah, that white boy back on that dope boy shit,鈥 a reference to his drug dealing past.
But the concert didn鈥檛 dive deep into Jelly Roll鈥檚 10-year plus tenure as a rapper. Instead, it was the ultimate display of country music.
It began when a voice echoed through the arena: 鈥淵ou belong here.鈥 The crowd roared.
Jelly Roll emerged from the back of the arena with an entourage that included his wife, Bunnie XO, and son, Noah. The superstar kissed his wife before taking to the mini-platform. He yelled out 鈥淪t. 亚洲无码鈥 as the frame of a small house lowered around the platform. The house caught fire聽as he launched into 鈥淚 Am Not Okay.鈥
Jelly Roll promised the audience they would experience the 鈥渂est show of their lives鈥, and he delivered. He mentioned throughout how St. 亚洲无码 was a special place to him, reflecting on past performances at the Fubar and Pop鈥檚 Concert Venue. The city鈥檚 rock and country radio stations were among the first to play his songs when he crossed genres, and he was proud to see opener Kay performing near her hometown.
He moved to the mainstage joining three vocalists and a host of musicians, including drummer Porkchop, bassist Lunchbox, DJ Chill and more. Majestic red theater curtains rose to reveal the band and a giant cracked skull sitting center stage.
Most of the set included songs from Jelly Roll鈥檚 country music repertoire. He performed live renditions of new songs like 鈥淗alfway to Hell鈥 and 鈥淟iar.鈥 He hit a downhome, country two-step dance when he launched into his song 鈥淕et By.鈥
Jelly Roll performed as if he鈥檇 been a country artist all of his life. It makes sense. He was born just a few minutes from Nashville, the country music capital of the U.S. Narrative-based lyrics and twangy, banjo rhythms are in his blood, as evidenced by his performance of his break-out records 鈥淪on of a Sinner鈥 and 鈥淲ild Ones.鈥 His emotionally explosive singing accompanies testimony-based lyrics describing his struggles with addiction, self-worth and his spiritual willingness to heal.
Working the stage with ease, Jelly Roll remained engaged with the crowd throughout the show. He shared anecdotes and encouraging messages that made the concert feel personal despite the arena being at capacity. Singer Kay joined him for a duet of Toby Keith鈥檚 hit 鈥淪hould've Been a Cowboy.鈥 Kay was the star of the duet, with Jelly Roll taking a backseat after the first verse. She followed up with cover of Shania Twain鈥檚 鈥淢an! I Feel Like a Woman,鈥 before Jelly Roll covered Green Day鈥檚 鈥淕ood Riddance鈥 and John Denver鈥檚 鈥淭ake Me Home, Country Roads.鈥
At one point, Jelly Roll said he could feel the spirit of resilience and rock 鈥檔鈥 roll in the room. However, the 鈥渞鈥 word missing from the 鈥淏eautifully Broken鈥 tour was rap. He barely touched his catalog of rap gems, finally spitting a few bars toward the end of the night with his song 鈥淪moking Section鈥 from the 2015 album 鈥淭herapeutic Music 5.鈥 While Jelly Roll鈥檚 rap fanbase might鈥檝e been disappointed, the audience appeared most connected to his recent country tunes. He also rapped briefly on the song 鈥淏ottle and Mary Jane,鈥 but audio issues returned when DJ Chill spoke into his mic to wrap up the song and sound barely emerged.
However, the vocalists' mics were on, bringing grand, soulful energy that transported the audience from the pews of a Baptist church along the Bible Belt to a dirty South hoedown.
Jelly Roll made sure to bring the fire to the Enterprise Center. Literally. The pyrotechnics left the audience in awe. The lid of a grand piano blazed while he performed 鈥淪he." Green lights glowed through the giant skull as fire sparks shot across the stage.
Eighty-two-year-old superfan Miles got her wish at the show's end when Jelly Roll performed 鈥淪ave Me.鈥 A crown was placed on the skull as it rose into the air, flames glaring in its eye sockets. Suddenly, red fireballs flew from its mouth,聽directing concertgoers to the back of the arena, where Jelly Roll stood back on the mini platform.
He delivered a breathtaking performance of Miles鈥 favorite song, the fiery house reigniting as it lowered around him again. He physically drew the audience in as they gathered around the small stage, singing the song's desperate lyrics. As the house burned, it started to rain, putting out the fire. Water splashed all over him, and he sang drenched, standing tall as a country鈥檚 newest, genre-bending powerhouse whose journey is just getting started.