Country music has a long loyal history of fans who love to step into their cowboy boots, put on their cowboy hats, and boogie down at the local country club. It also has a very storied history with being the butt of the joke in the music industry. But every now and then we have a cross over artist that is able to bridge the gap between country music, and the rest of the music loving world. The latest man to achieve this goes by the name Jelly Roll. Not only has he been paving the way for his own singles and albums, but he has been invited to collaborate with musicians who don’t do country music such as Eminem, Machine Gun Kelly, Ronnie Radke, Lil Wayne, and many more. He has just ventured onto his latest tour dubbed the Beautifully Broken Tour, and this show sold out at the Honda Center with support from Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay. Street teams were outside the venue selling cowboy hats for anyone who forgot theirs, and the fans lined up early to get boot scootin’ boogie on.

Opening the night was Alexandra Kay. Alexandra was very excited to be performing on this tour as she mentioned she is still an unsigned independent artist. And in the music world, it can be nearly impossible for unsigned independent artists to catch a break like this to be on a national arena tour. So, it made her even more excited to get this opportunity to perform for the fans of Anaheim. The stage had two catwalks on the left and right side of the arena. Alexandra made it a point to interact with her audience as much as possible. Constantly walking down both sides of the catwalk to sing with her loving fans. Multiple times even stealing a phone to record herself singing with that fan. Sadly I could not get her setlist for the songs she played, but I would highly recommend looking up her top 10 songs on Spotify as each one will get you dancing in your seat.

Up next was a country artist from Hershey, PA known as Warren Zeiders. Warren hit the stage with some swagger and charisma like you’d expect from Usher, and the ladies in the crowd cheered for him just the same. Warren planned to step up the energy even more for the Honda Center, and during his first song “Take it to the Grave” huge canons of pyro blasted off across the front of the stage. Most people might be taken back a bit by this, but Warren embraced the heat standing close to the pyro blasts, locking eyes with every lady in the front row. Giving off some serious Glen Powell from Twisters energy. As well, Warren was not afraid to get right up close and personal with the fans. Often walking down the catwalks to let more people truly see this star on stage. Warren Zeiders kept up this highly charismatic performance for songs like “Intoxicated,” “Betrayal,” “Best I’ve Ever Had,” “Weeping Willow,” “Heartbreaker,” “Relapse,” “Sin So Sweet,” “Pretty Little Poison,” and ending with “Ride the Lightning.” I don’t know if country music stars have the “bad boy musician” archetype in their genre, but I feel Warren Zeiders exemplifies this characteristic.

When it was finally time for Jelly Roll to take the stage, he did something more unique than I probably have ever seen from other artists to start the show. Instead of walking onto the main stage, there was a second side stage set up in the middle of the Honda Center. Jelly Roll took a stroll through the crowd, hand in hand with his wife Alyssa “Bunny XO” DeFord, greeting and interacting with his fans. He kissed his loving wife before ascending to this side stage to perform the song “I Am Not Okay.” But what truly made this moment special was that Jelly Roll performed under a burning house apparatus. The sight of this was more unique than I can imagine any other country artist doing, or even modern day pop artist. As the song concluded, Jelly took his stroll through the other side of the arena, greeting the rest of his fans as he made his way back to the main stage.

Once on the main stage, Jelly Roll was flanked by his entire band who he would constantly embrace. Though Jelly is technically a solo artist, he continues to show love and support to his band during each song. Frequently playing with his guitarist, or dancing next to his drummer and keyboardist. Jelly Roll kept up this love for songs like “Halfway to Hell,” “Get By,” “Son of a Sinner,” “Lonely Road,” “Friends in Low Places/Feel Like a Woman,” “Creature,” “Same Asshole,” “Fall in the Fall,” “Wild Ones,” “She,” “Liar,” “Bottle and Mary Jane,” “Need a Favor,” and “Smoking Section.” During one of the songs, Jelly Roll performed standing next to a flaming grand piano as his keyboardist played it. For his final song “Save Me,” Jelly once again took to the side stage and set the house apparatus a blaze one more time. When the song flowed into its outro, the flaming house was extinguished by rainfall, as Jelly Roll was bathed in the cleansing waters of the rain. He took a couple more minutes to wave and connect with the fans, who desired more, before leaving the stage and walking to the back.

Walking out of the Honda Center, I can’t say that I am a country fan still, but I can say I am a Jelly Roll fan. This artist has been able to cross multiple genres and appeal to the masses. Anaheim sold out the venue to show their love to this man, and I can now truly understand why he is so beloved. The passion and heart that he performs with is undeniable. But it’s his eagerness to show his love back to his fans by greeting them directly and giving us an entertaining show that stands out from the rest. Jelly Roll has shows running till the end of the year, and even if you hate country music, I can guarantee this man will turn you on to his music at the very least. Don’t sit on Jelly Roll just because he plays country. Take a chance and go to one of his upcoming shows. I know you won’t be disappointed.