Jelly Roll delivered four separate interludes on Saturday night that drew on his own hit material and cover-tune medleys — and fans at Rogers Arena at it up
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
The impression left by the Rogers Arena performance Jelly Roll gave on night two of the singer’s cross-country Beautifully Broken: Great Northern Tour is that he is the man to beat in the hick-hop scene.
Presently blowing up contemporary country and pop-music charts, this variation from straight-up bro’ twang is a perfect mash-up of the playlists the “’80s and ’90s babies” being shouted out at the show. In a show that featured four separate interludes that drew on that content for cover-tune medleys, there was never a dull moment in the set.
That the selection of songs felt like they were put through focus groups before being confirmed is merely a matter of modern set list planning.
Delivered with more slickness than a platter of deep-fried biscuits and greasy gravy with a side of smothered succotash, the 40-year-old Tennessee artist, who was born Jason Bradley DeFord, draws upon experience gained from the eight full-length albums that came before 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel brought his self-described “real music for real people with real problems” to the charts.
Toss in a youth spent in the Southern Baptist church, prison and 12-step programs, and you have exactly the right components for the lengthy sermons that he delivered in between rave-up versions of hits such as the opener I Am Not Okay to the closing notes of Save Me.
Backed by a ridiculously able 10-piece band that looked like your local neighbourhood Limp Bizkit cover band joined by the cast of a Motown musical, Jelly Roll hit the first true high of the evening with a spectacular version of Get By from his No. 1 charting 2024 release Beautifully Broken. The song was a blast, as it blended bluesy Southern rock with three-part gospel harmonies and guitar shredding that was much more Eddie Van Halen than Chet Atkins.
Sporting a Canucks hat, Jelly Roll dropped into a homily about how he loved ’90s country music and delivered a surprisingly to the note cover of Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places. Jelly Roll smiled wide as the audience joined along for both lyrics and chorus. He also brought Canadian country singer and tour mate Josh Ross onto the stage to drop a verse or two.
As the whole cover band content seemed to be working, a version of Green Day’s The Time of Your Life and John Denver’s Country Roads followed before a return to material by the headliner. Among other killer tunes delivered were a heavy Son of a Sinner, plaintive The Hate Goes On and a chance to have a giant illuminated skull descend over the proceedings for Liar.
Another long story about trying to locate the dead skunk in his older brother’s room and first hearing gangster rap provided the opportunity to deliver a perfunctory take on Eminem’s Lose Yourself and OutKast’s Ms. Jackson, among others. Again, it seemed a bit off for an artist with so much material to draw from to be relying on so much music from other sources.
The audience was eating it up, and Jelly Roll is nothing if not an entertainer out to deliver what the fans desire.
Mostly relying on the talent of his backing players and his own genuine onstage charisma, this was still a full-on arena event. Among the best moments was when one of the guitar players sat down at the piano to play along to Hard Fought Hallelujah. The collaboration between Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake is postcard perfect classic country.
When the top of the piano was engulfed in flames, you could sense the musician’s genuine concern for his long hair, bracing for any sudden shift in the breeze.
After killer versions of both the testimonial Bottle and Mary Jane and the gem Need a Favour, it was time to head back to cover tunes again. This time, for a bit of Canadiana.
Given Need a Favour could easily be a Nickelback tune with some studio tweaking, it made perfect sense that the band’s How You Remind Me would lead off. Alanis Morissette’s It’s Like Rain followed, and then Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway rounded it out. I guess BTO just won’t ever get their props. Not covering Rush made perfect sense.
Returning to the small stage on which he started the show, Jelly Roll gave his last inspirational “music is therapy” talk and performed his big hit Save Me. There were tears in the aisles. The man’s music clearly resonates with the people holding up “I’m 13 years sober” signs as much as the group a few rows from where this reviewer was sitting happily passing around some sort of inhaler.
Opener Josh Ross proved that Canadian country is in a pretty good place these days with a go-for-broke warm up that showcased his crack band. Finishing with an extended version of his big number Single Again with enough lead guitar to make Molly Hatchet envious, he is one to watch.
Another bit of fun for the night was mash-up duo Arena Rockerz, who provided non-stop bounce alongs from the small stage in between sets. Blending classic rock hits, pop ditties and a live raps, they even trotted out Vancouver’s very own Death Row records signee Merkules, known for his “hangover-rap” stylings.
It is entirely possible that there could be some other hangovers in the house after the Beautifully Broken: Great Norther tour at Rogers Arena.