Hip-hop country artist Jelly Roll rocks Boston at TD Garden – The Suffolk Journal

Award-winning hip-hop country artist Jelly Roll returned to Boston on September 26th with his “Beautifully Broken” tour, filling TD Garden with cheering fans, electrifying performances and an unforgettable show.

This was the first time Jelly Roll performed at TD Garden and the entire arena ended up being sold out. The tour is in honor of his upcoming album “Beautifully Broken,” out October 11th.

The setlist fluctuated between loud rap, expressive country rock and slower melodies. Songs that were on the show's setlist included top hits such as “Liar”, “Save Me”, “Need a Favour” and “Halfway to Hell”. Two unreleased songs were also performed, including “Burning” and “Heart of Stone”.

The loud, energetic crowd jumped to their feet in red and black flannel shirts, cowboy boots and American flag T-shirts, preparing to welcome the Nashville native to Boston.

The show started with a bang as Jelly Roll came out with his wife Alyssa DeFord in his custom black and green Boston Celtics jacket. Both greeted the many fans in attendance as they walked through the audience to a set-up side stage.

“I Am Not Okay” opened the show and set the perfect tone for the theme of “healing” with its soothing beat, catchy lyrics and easy-to-follow rhythm. As he began to sing, the metal frame of a house hanging above him burst into flames. He acknowledged that life is dark at times, but together we will make it through the pain and find something much more beautiful and fulfilling on the other side.

Throughout the show, Jelly Roll viewed the concert as a place of peace where everyone should feel welcome. Some in the crowd even shouted that they felt like this moment was like going to church.

“Tonight will be a night of healing. Tonight will be a night of love. Tonight will be a night of redemption,” Jelly Roll shouted to the audience.

After Jelly Roll played “I Am Not Okay” and cheered the audience on for a night to remember, he returned to the main stage with his top country rock hit “Halfway to Hell.” This created electrifying feelings and excitement in the audience and everyone started clapping to the happy rhythm of the song.

The pyro on this song was incredible. Each time Jelly Roll reached the climax of the song, a large, broken skull crown on stage was shot into the air in bright bursts of fire.

He kept the vibe chaotic, hip and fun with every song throughout the night. The stage crew added flashing red lights and dropped dramatic dark curtains as Jelly Roll encouraged the audience to cheer on his drummer “Porkchop” (Cody Ash), who performed drum tricks with his introduction to get the audience in the mood.

After introducing his drummer, Jelly Roll began to take a more spiritual direction with his self-reflective hit “Son of a Sinner.” During this portion of the show, he began bringing in surprise guests, including rising country singer Alexander Kay for a collaborative cover of Garth Brooks' “Friends in Low Places” and a powerful solo of Shania Twain's “I Feel Like a Woman.”

Jelly Roll also brought in Worcester's Joyner Lucas to perform his rap verse for “Best For Me,” a track that includes lyrics about the loved ones of addicts. As Lucas took the stage, the crowd went wild and erupted as he began rapping his quick verses to the song.

“Jelly Roll, you are the embodiment of a rose growing from a crack in the concrete,” said Joyner Lucas.

The end of the concert was approaching as he performed his two top hits “Liar” and “Save Me”. When Jelly Roll performed “Liar,” he uplifted the audience with a powerful message about not letting someone else destroy you and encouraging them to cut the wrong people out of their lives.

To close the show, he performed “Save Me,” which featured water raining down on him from a dark mist imitating clouds. The intense drops of water that hit him and the ground symbolized a baptism and rebirth. According to him, as an artist, he plans to turn his glowing past into a bright future by singing and being an inspiration to his fans.

Overall the concert was fantastic, from the loud audience to the catchy titles to the motivation of Jelly Roll himself. I will never forget that. I've been listening to Jelly Roll for about two or three years now and I have to say he's become a huge inspiration to me during difficult times in life.

Jelly Roll plans to return to Boston in the next few years in hopes of performing at Fenway Park.

The Beautifully Broken tour continues over the next few months through April with stops in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and more.