Jelly Roll & Josh Ross
March 13, 2025
Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Magical. Emotional. Thrilling. Three words to describe Jelly Roll‘s sold-out shows at Rogers Place in Edmonton, and yet they don’t seem like enough. The megastar rolled through Edmonton for two sold-out dates on his “Beautifully Broken” tour – his first Canadian tour. You could just feel by the energy in the building that this was going to be something incredibly special, and it really was.
Thanks to some really garbage weather I missed Savannah Dexter, but arrived in time for Josh Ross.
I’m going to preface this entire review by saying I’m not a country guy – not in the least. But holy hell. Josh Ross was a ton of fun. Edmonton absolutely loves the guy. He was engaged with the crowd, and you could just tell by the looks on his and his band’s faces – they were all having the time of their lives. It’s impossible to not pick up on, and I super enjoyed the part of his set I did catch.
In between the acts, they had DJ’s with them. Known as the Arena Rockerz, they were super entertaining – playing classic favourites that had the entire audience singing, clapping, and cheering through the entire night!
The wait for Jelly Roll had a palpable electricity churning through the air – a countdown timer ticking away the seconds until the man himself took to the stage. He made his way from the side of the main stage, through the crowd to the platform at the soundboard. Hanging above, was a giant frame resembling a house… once he started singing “I Am Not Okay”, a shiver went through my entire body. The frame lit up, giving the image of a burning house. The entire arena sang along, and you could just feel the emotion in the air. I’m somewhat familiar with Jelly Roll’s music – but this I did not expect. Through the set he played material spanning his career as well as a cover of “Friends in Low Places”, and a pair of medleys; one covering classic hip-hop tracks, and the other granting a nod to Canadian artists. He held signs from people stating their struggles with addiction and the effect his music has had on them, and he has an undeniable connection to his audience.
During his finale of “Save Me’, the flaming house was extinguished, and replaced with a downpour of rain to which he sang the ballad. Admittedly, this song got me through a lot in the last couple of years, and the hair on my neck stood up when he started the first lines. The audience sing-along was deafening. There were many people in tears, and it was just such an emotional moment. This was easily one of the best shows I have ever seen, and that’s a pretty big statement from me.
He’s got a fan in me, and I will gladly see him any and every time he comes to town. He is a prime example of how it’s done.
