In October, I attended a Jellyroll concert in State College, PA at the Bryce Jordan Center. Let me preface this by saying that it was one of the best concerts of my life. The energy was wild, and the ambiance was great. Hearing everyone acoustic sounded like it was right from the recording.
The night kicked off with Alexandra Kay, an independently funded, female, country singer who has tremendous songwriting talent. She was not a large name in country music until Jellyroll offered her an opening spot on his “Beautifully Broken Tour.”
Kay sang from her newest album “All I’ve Ever Known,” songs she had written about her ex-husband and the heartache she had gone through. After four heartbreaking songs, she ended her set with “Skip This Part” and welcomed the next artist. Upon her exit, there was not a dry eye in sight.
Up next, Warren Zeiders kept the energy going with his opening song “Betrayal” from his newest album “Relapse.” Since Zeiders is from Pittsburgh, PA, he was ecstatic to be playing so close to home on his first tour.
Zeiders, who became famous on TikTok in 2021, has a large following in the country music industry. His most popular song, “Pretty Little Poison,” lit up the stadium with flashlights and the echo of lyrics flooding back to him. Tears filled his eyes, when he realized that was his “I made it” moment.
After a brief intermission, Jellyroll finally filled the stadium with his presence. His set began with “Get By,” a song from his newest album that is used as the college football anthem.
Jellyroll struggled with drugs and incarceration his whole life, until he found music. His music is centered around helping anyone who has ever struggled with issues like mental health, drug use, excessive alcohol use, or trauma.
Before he continued singing, he thanked the fans for selling out the arena and said, “This isn’t a concert, it’s a family reunion!” Due to his outlook on life, his fans admire him for so much more than his powerful voice and skillful music display.
One of my personal favorite songs of his is called “She.” It is about losing a loved one to addiction. Upon singing this song, he sat in silence for a moment to honor everyone who was not with us that night.
Jellyroll ended the night with another one of my favorites; his most popular song, “Save Me.” Although his concert was a playful mix of energetic and somber music, this song hit the hardest, especially since it was the show’s finale. As soon as I heard the beginning cords of the song, I felt myself slow down; I felt so safe.
My concert experience did not feel real. So much adrenaline was running through my body throughout the entirety of the concert, and I loved every second of it. This experience is a memory that I will never forget. Thank you, State College, for the incredible night.
