The Wild West Arena was packed to capacity Saturday night for the Nebraskaland Days Viaero Wireless concert featuring Jelly Roll.

Jelly Roll performed for about an hour and a half, stopping at times to talk about how music helps people.

Singing such songs as Save Me, Son of a Sinner, Wild Ones and Halfway to Hell, he took a minute now and then to explain why he wrote a particular song and what it was about.

In the middle of his performance he sang the song, Shoulda Been a Cowboy, by Toby Keith in a tribute to Keith, the singer-songwriting superstar who died from cancer in February.

The audience was excited for the two opening acts, Austin Snell and Priscilla Block.

Snell, who grew up in a small town in Georgia, delivered such songs as Wildfire and Muddy Water Rockstar. The latter song is about his blend of country music and rock and roll.

“My ma raised me on Waylon,” the lyrics say, “My pops on rock ‘n’ roll. Red dirt and black top pavement…this is what you get when you mix ’em up.”

Priscilla Block sang Just About Over You and Wish You Were the Whiskey, as well as her body-positive anthem, Thick Thighs, which embraces unconventional body sizes and challenges societal beauty standards.

When “Jason ‘Jelly Roll’ DeFord of Nashville, Tenn.” took the stage, the level of excitement increased even more and the arena filled with energy. The audience cheered, stood, waved their arms and chanted his name.

Jelly Roll is a childhood nickname given DeFord by his mother. The singer, rapper and songwriter won three CMT music awards in 2023, and later that year was named the New Artist of the Year at the CMA awards.

He has performed at the Grand ole Opry and served as a mentor on American Idol.

In the backdrop behind him, colorful lights flashed and seemed to shoot flames as smoke billowed across the stage. Towards the end of his show, fiery sparks rained down on Jelly Roll.

The show wasn’t all high drama. Jelly Roll also sang a couple cover tunes, relaxed and had fun with the crowd.

After standing on the stage and taking it all in, marveling at the size and energy of the crowd, he told the members of the audience that they certainly matter. He encouraged them to be strong in their struggles, and thanked them for being so receptive.

People waited in long lines to buy merchandise from Jelly Roll and Priscilla Block. The merch table was located inside the front gates and the line stretched past the grandstands all the way back to the food vendors.

For the most part, the evening was enjoyable for everyone, although there was at least one fight. Two people carried a man with a bloody face out of the crowd on the arena floor. With the help of police and EMTs, he was taken out of the area in an ambulance.

Jelly Roll even did a little preaching. He said the Savior and God turned his life around, and music can be very therapeutic.

Photos by Haylee Francisco unless otherwise noted. Tap on images to enlarge.

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