Tim SchumannFirst time in El Paso for Jelly Roll.
There is nothing better than a sold-out show and that was certainly the case here in El Paso, Texas at the Don Haskins Center when Jelly Roll brought his The Beautifully Broken Tour 2024 to the borderland. As I approached the venue looking for a place to park, I knew I was in for a treat, 9 tractor trailers parked on the side and the line was up the stairs and down the block of people waiting on doors, which was at 7. You see, truth be told, I know who Jelly Roll is, who doesn’t, he’s all over TV and his songs are our local rock station, KLAQ, but I had no idea what I was in store for once lead down to the venues floor and positioned, all I can say is, wow, what a show!
Jelly Roll has been at it since 03, he’s a singer, rapper and songwriter who has produced 10 releases in 12 years, his blend of Hip Hop and Country/Southern Rap has of late has just propelled him straight to stardom, actually just past two years with cuts like Save Me, Need a Favor and Son of a Sinner. Also, during this time, he has been nominated for just about every award you could think of and to his credit has won seven, yeah, seven in two years, just to name a few, New Artist of the Year, Best New Pop Artist, Male Country Artist of the Year, yeah, I said it, this cat has just blown up in such a short period of time and after doing my research, he was a trouble maker early on, dope mainly, peppered with other nonsense, got locked up and found the Lord and now tells his story though his music. A story of change, rehabilitation and Jesus Christ is the message, a powerful one I must say.
Jelly Roll hit the stage at 9:30, but I gotta share that there were two stages, the main stage of course, but there was a smaller one on the floor set back almost were FOH would have been. The plan is Jell Roll is going to walk out down this isle turn right and go up on the small stage for the first song, I am standing right where he makes that turn, what I noticed he took his time, shook hands and even gave the guy a hug before heading up the stairs. The first song is Halfway to Hell which he does under a house frame on fire, I was close enough to feel the heat. Two minutes later, the back curtain slowly rises on the main stage and there he is in all his glory. This is his show, he’s the main attraction, his merch is everywhere, shirts, hats, bandanas and hoodies, all with a Country and Jesus spin on it, a lot of Cowboy hats too. Jelly Roll commands the stage, this is his platform to share his story of hope, love and understanding and after blowing through a 16
-song set list, highlighting songs like Bottle and Mary Jane, Save Me and Need a Favor, I fully get it now and I think it’s safe to say the 12k in attendance would agree. I highly recommend this tour, he’s about halfway through, check those dates and we’ll see you at the next rock show
Review and Photography by Tim Schumann
Set List
Halfway to Hell
Son of the Dirty South
Wild Ones
Son of a Sinner
Friends in Low Places
I Am Not OK
Smoking Section
Boys in the Hood/Ruff Ryders Anthem/Lose Yourself/ Ms. Jackson/Just a Friend
Bottle and Mary Jane
Need a Favor
Lonely Road
Save Me
