It was early on in Jelly Roll’s concert at the Saddledome Tuesday night when the country-rapper said he felt the “spirit of God” in the stadium. Read More
It was early on in Jelly Roll’s concert at the Saddledome Tuesday night when the country-rapper said he felt the “spirit of God” in the stadium. While the American performer has never been shy about about his Baptist roots or born-again leanings, it was not a particularly overt or alienating gesture. After all, he also
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It was early on in Jelly Roll’s concert at the Saddledome Tuesday night when the country-rapper said he felt the “spirit of God” in the stadium.
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While the American performer has never been shy about about his Baptist roots or born-again leanings, it was not a particularly overt or alienating gesture. After all, he also said he felt the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll and outlaw country music at the Saddledome. But it did fit nicely into both the fiery visual motif and overall vibe Tuesday night, which was part of his first arena tour of Canada. The performer, born Jason Bradley DeFord, didn’t pound the pulpit per se, but it often felt like he was taking us to church. It was a joyful, solemn, motivational, touching and occasionally corny spectacle, but was rarely boring. Calling on the communal and healing aspects of music is nothing new, of course. Four months ago, Bruce Springsteen wowed a Saddledome crowd with his trademark revival-tent, rock-n-roll-as-saviour approach. Jelly Roll doesn’t have Springsteen’s knowing wink, his command of genre or his stamina and he certainly doesn’t have the Boss’s songs to make the comparison completely valid. But on Tuesday night, he had enough conviction to make the sermonizing and quasi-spiritual bent seem both entertaining and heartfelt.
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He began the sold-out concert emphasizing his man-of-the-people persona by making his way through the audience to a platform set up mid-stadium. He performed I Am Not Okay, an acoustic ballad seemingly based on the one-day-at-a-time journey of a recovering addict. Jelly Roll was initially on a bare stage but a flaming frame eventually descended from the rafters during the song’s climax. The early goings of the concert occasionally felt like he was trying to get some of the stadium hallmarks out of the way so he could concentrate on the messaging. By song No. 2, the fiery Halfway to Hell, Jelly Roll and his crew were bathed in red light as he offered a lengthy introduction of his bandmates, which led to a somewhat premature drum solo. By song No. 5, a faithful cover of Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, he was joined by Canadian country singer Josh Ross for the obligatory invite-the-opener-on-stage duet.
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This is not to say that the music was secondary, but Jelly Roll was clearly on a mission that included offering believe-in-yourself platitudes. On the fire-and-brimstone Liar, he demanded that self-doubters cast out Satan and his all his devilish naysaying. One of the most solemn and touching moments came after he plucked two hand-written signs from the audience. They were both written by mothers who had lost children to fentanyl addiction. In 2024, Jelly Roll spoke before Congress and urged them to pass an anti-fentanyl bill that would target drug dealers. Clearly moved by the mothers’ signs and their stories, he sang an apparently impromptu version of the anti-drug cautionary ballad She. It was followed by Hard Fought Hallelujah, a recent duet Jelly Roll performed with Brandon Lake. Both benefited from the band’s three backup singers, who offered a soaring gospel-choir chorus that helped make the songs musical highlights.
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Jelly Roll’s own healing journey involves drug-dealing, addiction and imprisonment and has clearly been an inspiration for his material. But he also paid homage to the more musically specific influences of a 1990s kid who loved rock ‘n’ roll, mainstream country and hip-hop but was schooled in outlaw and classic country by his mother. One medley veered from Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) to John Denver’s Country Roads (Take Me Home.) In another, he offered a nod to “gangster rap” by covering OutKast, Eminem and Biz Markie .
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After singing the praises of Canada and his Canadian fans throughout the evening, Jelly Roll eventually offered a direct ode to the Great White North with his final medley. At any other time in history, paying tribute to Canuck music with songs by Nickelback, Alanis Morissette and Tom Cochrane may have seemed surface-scratching and more than a little pandering. But this seemed sincere. There was no mention of politics on Tuesday night. But given the crumbling Canada-U.S. relations making headlines these days, the moment came off as a display of genuine admiration.