Fresh off being a first-time Grammy award nominee, Jelly Roll checked off an equally impressive first. On Wednesday (March 6), the "Save Me" singer made his debut at the prestigious Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo —aka RodeoHouston.
"I've been dreaming of this H-Town" Jelly Roll told the crowd (per HoustonPress). "This is a dream come true for us... and this is officially the biggest show of my entire life."
Biggest could mean both the size of the crowd —over 73,000, per the Houston Chronicle— or the incalculable value of the platform. After all, RodeoHouston has played at least some role in George Strait, Blake Shelton and others becoming superstars that transcend country music.
"This is going to be a once in a lifetime show, and it's about to get good," he told the crowd.
Jelly Roll made the most of his latest moment in a bright spotlight by flavoring his setlist of hits with several cover songs. For the country crowd, he sang Toby Keith's "Should've Been a Cowboy" and Alabama's ""If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)." In a nod to his hip-hop roots, Jelly Roll also got the packed crowd to sing along with him to several rap covers, including Eazy E's "Boyz-N-The-Hood," DMX's "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend."
In another surprise twist, rodeo rider turned country star Cody Johnson joined Jelly Roll for "Whiskey Bent."
"This is one of my best friends in country music, and sometimes we will sit on the phone for hours talking about life and business and all kinds of crazy stuff," Jelly Roll told the crowd when introducing Johnson.
Jelly Roll's spouse Bunnie XO made an appearance, as well.
By show's end, Jelly Roll declared it a success.
Thank you Houston, this is the greatest night of my life. We will be back one day," he told the audience.
To top it all off, Jelly Roll dressed for the occasion by wearing a cowboy hat onstage.
