Machine Gun Kelly, better known as MGK, kicked off the 2024 College Football Season with a special performance during FOX’s college football pregame show, Big Noon Kickoff.
Watch Machine Gun Kelly Perform At Big Noon Kickoff
The 34-year-old rapper took the stage on Saturday, August 31, wearing a blue and gold ensemble complete with a black hat and black Dr. Martens boots with yellow paint splattered on them, to deliver a performance live from Morgantown, West Virginia, on the campus of West Virginia University.
Performing in front of a live crowd of Mountaineer faithful, all decked out in West Virginia’s signature blue and gold, MGK started his performance with a snippet of the iconic John Denver hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” After leading the crowd in a massive sing-along to the Denver classic, MGK, whose real name is Colson Baker, transitioned into his buzzed-about new song, “Lonely Road,” sans his duet partner Jelly Roll.
John Denver’s original song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” is one of the beloved official state anthems of West Virginia and has become a staple at home Mountaineer football games and university events at West Virginia University since the early 1970s.
FOX’s BIG NOON KICKOFF
The Big Noon Kickoff provided a preview of the day’s top college football games live from the most exciting campuses in the sport, starting Saturdays at 10:00 AM ET on FOX. The show featured the star-studded desk of Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, and Urban Meyer, along with insight and interviews from Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Bruce Feldman, and Tom Rinaldi.
The BIG NOON SATURDAY game of the week highlighted No. 8 Penn State taking on West Virginia at 12:00 PM ET on FOX, with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft on the call.
“Lonely Road” Featuring Jelly Roll
Machine Gun Kelly’s “Lonely Road,” inspired by Denver’s 1971 tune, originally features duet partner Jelly Roll. The tune was released on July 26 and MGK explained that “Lonely Road” was a song that took “2 years, 8 different studios, 4 different countries, [and] changed the key 4 times” to create.
Upon release, the pair of superstars also dropped a cinematic music video for the track. In the Sam Cahill-directed video, MGK and Jelly Roll act as car mechanics struggling with money while trying to support their families. Megan Fox and Bunnie XO make guest appearances in this cautionary story, where MGK comes up with a big plan to take care of Fox and his loved ones.
The marked MGK’s official arrival into the Country music genre, despite appearing at Spotify House during 2024 CMA Fest in Nashville and singing covers of The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” at the streaming service’s event. MGK has also shared a viral cover of Zach Bryan’s “Sun To Me,” which debuted on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart following its release. The Zach Bryan cover was filmed live at “the Cheshire Cottage, aka my living room.”
