Jelly Roll delivered a powerful set during an emotional homecoming at the inaugural Music City Rodeo at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday evening (May 30). The genre-bending superstar is one of three artists headlining the three-day event, which marks Nashville’s first rodeo and runs May 29–31, with performances from Jelly Roll, Reba McEntire, who kicked things off on Thursday, and Tim McGraw, set to close out the event on Saturday.
The chart-topping phenomenon stormed the stage at 9:35PM, wearing an all black ensemble complete with a cowboy hat, launching his set with “Heart Of Stone,” his current single at Country radio. From that point on, it was a full-blown Jelly Roll concert full of fan-favorite hits such as “Get By,” “Liar,” “Wild Ones,” “Son Of A Sinner,” “I Am Not Okay,” “Need A Favor,” “Halfway To Hell,” “Only” and more.
He welcomed the sold-out crowd with a heartfelt speech, expressing gratitude for the special evening. “Nashville… there’s no place like home. There is no place like home. I have traveled the world. I have been across the United States, and there is no place like home Nashville,” he said, greeting the capacity crowd. “This is just special, man. I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m so grateful. This is my third time playing the Bridgestone, and I’m honored to be here tonight. I want to be clear, though, this is not a Jelly Roll show. This is the first Music City Rodeo that let Jelly Roll do a show, and I am honored. I was here to support the Cowboys and I want to thank all the cowboys that stuck around us, support me.”
He then went on to reflect on his soaring success before continuing on with the show. “I never thought that I would make it to play f**king exit in that holds 500 people on Ellison Parkway. I never thought I’d be able to play that. And then we played it. We played it five times, and we sold it out three of them. And then we went to Marathon Music Works, and I never thought we would’ve made it to Marathon in our hometown. And then we went to The Ryman Auditorium, and then a defining moment in my career happened that year. We decided to take a risk. And in the year of 2022, I played the first arena of my entire career, right here in my hometown, right here at the Bridgestone Arena. I would’ve never guessed that that hometown show was going to launch me to play 80 arenas across the United States of America and have one of the biggest tours of last year.”
Jelly Roll continued, “I never thought that a kid from Antioch, Tennessee, baby that went to Lakeview Elementary School, Cameron Middle School, and Antioch High School was going to end up on tour with Post Malone and selling out stadiums across the world. I want y’all to know that I never take this for granted. What y’all have done for me in this city and how much y’all have changed my life, and how much y’all decided to make me the champion of this hardworking town in the middle of Tennessee with a bunch of hardworking people, y’all, let me be your voice and I take great pride in taking that message all across the world. As a Nashville kid born in Baptist Hospital, I’ve never had an ID didn’t say Tennessee on it. I was born in Tennessee, and when I die, they’re going to bury me right here in Nashville, Tennessee.”
The Antioch, Tennessee native also offered a selection of covers, including John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” DMX’s “Party Up,” and Snoop Dogg/Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild & Free.”
He concluded his set by taking fans to church with a soul-stirring performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” and “Save Me.” The sold-out crowd joined in like a choir for a massive sing-along, while Jelly Roll, overcome with emotion, soaked in the moment.
The 40-year-old singer/songwriter’s 90-minute set marked an emotional homecoming for Jelly Roll, a proud Nashville native. Honored to be invited by Tim McGraw to perform at the inaugural Music City Rodeo, he predicted the event’s exponential growth, even comparing its future to RODEOHOUSTON and suggesting it could eventually expand to Nissan Stadium with multiple days of concerts and rodeos.
“I want to thank them for involved me in this first rodeo [in Nashville]. I played the Houston Rodeo a few years ago. It’s legendary down in Texas and much like this, it started as a small rodeo for the city… And now the Houston Rodeo spans over the course of 21 days with 21 different acts with 75,000 people. Today, it’s one of the biggest rodeos in the world. It’s absolutely legendary. It’s absolutely electric,” he stated. “And I truly believe that 10 years from now, the Music City Rodeo could be at Nissan Stadium, and it could be one of the biggest rodeos in the world with the biggest stars in country music playing 20 nights in a row. That’s what I believe and that’s why I’m here, y’all. I, I’m honored to have been a part of this.”
He then revealed that the concert marked the final Nashville show until 2027. “This will be my last Nashville show until 2027, y’all. I want to be the first act to play Nissan Stadium when it opens in the spring of 2027. I never thought I would make it here. I never thought we would sell the Bridgestone out. We’ve sold the Bridgestone out three times now. Please let the local boy live a dream and open up the new stadium, let me be the first to play. Let the local boy do it, baby! I’ve got a fucking life-long Titans fan. Let me play Nissan Stadium, y’all.”
Jelly Roll also gave back to his hometown in a big way with the show, donating “100% of the money” he earned from his Music City Rodeo performance to local nonprofit charities that support feeding the homeless and assisting addicts on their path to sobriety.
Music City Rodeo In Nashville
Jelly Roll’s headlining performance took place after an electrifying rodeo presented by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The Music City Rodeo — the city’s first full-event rodeo and concert series — was founded in 2023 by Nashville residents Pat Humes of Humes Rodeo and Brian Kaplan, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Tim McGraw’s Down Home.
The inaugural Music City Rodeo marks a historic moment for Nashville, officially becoming the first time the city hosted its own major PRCA-sanctioned rodeo. Held at Bridgestone Arena, the groundbreaking event brings together two iconic American traditions — country music and rodeo — in the heart of Tennessee.
Each day will showcase thrilling rodeo events, including bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, and bronc riding, with the world’s top cowboys and cowgirls competing for over $200,000 in prize money. Fans also enjoyed the full pageantry of the rodeo with family-friendly activities like mutton bustin’, rodeo clowns, and Rodeo Queens, before each night culminated in a star-studded concert.
Having performed at more than 20 historic rodeos throughout his career, Tim McGraw and Down Home were inspired to bring the Music City Rodeo to town. He will close out the three-day event on Saturday night with a headlining set. Reba McEntire kicked off rodeo festivities with a show-stopping performance on Thursday, May 29, with all three artists — McGraw, McEntire, and Jelly Roll — serving as founding members of Music City Rodeo.
For more information about the Music City Rodeo, visit their official website HERE.
