The Kia Center in Orlando, Florida has recently played host to a number of sold-out events and tonight, Tuesday, September 17, 2024, was no exception. Jelly Roll‘s Beautifully Broken Tour was in town along with openers Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay. The show had been sold out for weeks and the parking garage was filling up quickly, even 2 hours before the scheduled start. Jelly Roll, real name Jason Bradley DeFord, began his career more than 20 years ago but his celebrity status really exploded in 2022 with the release of several hits including “Son of a Sinner.” He has since experienced immense success and has collaborated with numerous artists including Post Malone, Brantley Gilbert, Falling In Reverse and Eminem.
Hailing from Waterloo, Illinois Alexandra Kay started writing songs when she was 15 years old and she appeared on the hit TV show American Idol in 2011. Like many young artists, Alexandra used her social media platforms to help ignite her career by posting covers of some of her country music favorites. Alexandra Kay and company took the stage right at 7:00pm and it was obvious that she dressed for the hot Florida weather, wearing a sleeveless blouse, shorts and knee-high blue boots. The 1st song of the set was “Easy” which is from last year’s album All I’ve Ever Known. The stage had two runways on opposing sides that jetted out into the crowd. Alexandra ventured out on the runways and even took time to greet a young fan that was sitting stage side. Alexandra sounded great and the crowd really responded to the energetic set.
Alexandra Kay:
Alexandra Kay: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Rocko Beall: Guitar
Lou Vechio: Drums
Jon McGrath: Guitar
Setlist:
1.Easy
2.Backroad Therapy
3.I Hate Airplanes
4.All I’ve Ever Known
5.Skip This Part
6.More Than You
7.Everleave
8.Painted Him Perfect
Social media has been kind to the evening’s next performer, Warren Zeiders. With a staggering 2 plus billion streams, Zeiders won this year’s CMT Breakthrough Male Video Of The Year Award for his hit “Pretty Little Poison.” Just after 7:45pm Zeiders and his entourage came out blazing to the previously unreleased “Take it to the Grave.” Sporting a black cowboy hat and sunglasses, Zeiders took full advantage of the large stage and runways to sing directly to the crowd. The 45-minute set included songs like “Betrayal,” “Bad,” and “Pretty Little Poison.” The fans were amped up and the occasional plumes of pyro only added to the excitement. Zeiders brought the set to a close with 2022’s “Ride the Lightning.” Be sure to check out the award winning video for “Pretty Little Poison” below.
Warren Zeiders:
Warren Zeiders: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Sean Carroll: Bass
Tyler Hester: Drums
Joe Giaimo: Guitar
Matt Klevorn: Guitar
Josh Barker: Guitar
Dan Snyder: Guitar, Keyboard
Setlist:
1.Take it to the Grave
2.Intoxicated
3.Betrayal
4.Bad
5.Heartbreaker
6.Relapse
7.Sin So Sweet
8.Pretty Little Poison
9.Ride the Lightning
As 9:00pm grew near, the giant countdown clock above the stage began to tick away. A vibrant enthusiasm resonated throughout the venue and the house lights went dark. A smaller secondary stage had been erected in the middle of the arena, right at the soundboard. Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie Xo, appeared near stage right and began making their way to the secondary stage while a spotlight tracked their progress through the crowd. Upon arriving at the small stage, Jelly received a kiss and a hug from his wife and then ascended the stairs to the roar of the cheering crowd. The tone of the show was set early on as Jelly performed “I Am Not Okay,” from the new Beautifully Broken album which drops next month, underneath a frame of a house that was lowered from above and set afire. The performance of this emotional song was a spectacle to behold.
After a short golf cart ride to the main stage, Jelly Roll and the band kicked things into high gear with “Burned,” and “Halfway to Heaven.” Jelly sounded great and went out of his way to introduce his band members, including lead guitarist Jack Fowler whose hometown is Orlando, Florida. Jelly strolled down the runway and tipped his Orlando Magic cap to the sold-out crowd. He ramped up the audience as he spoke of spirit and change, but also clarified that they were the type of people that can burn it down on Saturday night and still show up to church on Sunday morning. Without wasting any time, he launched into the hit “Son of a Sinner.” Alexandra Kay, now wearing an Orlando Magic jersey, joined Jelly on stage for a rousing rendition of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” and stuck around for a cover of Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” During a mellow moment of the show, Jelly sat on a stool singing “She” while the top of the piano next to him went ablaze. During “Heart of Stone” Jelly climbed off the stage and made his way to the smaller stage where the flaming frame hovered from above. Meanwhile, the enormous, crowned skull that had been on the mainstage all evening began rising as flames erupted inside and pyrotechnics exploded from the mouth.
The final song of the night was played out on the small stage. The symbolism of the burning frame that hung above Jelly became crystal clear as soon as he began singing the mega-hit “Save Me.” Within seconds, the flames were extinguished by rain from above. Leave it to Jelly Roll to find a way to make it rain inside the sold-out Kia Center. At the conclusion, a drenched Jelly Roll bid adieu to the capacity crowd and made his way out. The 2-hour, 17-song, uplifting set left all those in attendance feeling exhilarated and fulfilled. There are still plenty of opportunities to catch this tour live so don’t miss out. Also, please take time to follow these amazing artists online (links below).
Jelly Roll:
Jelly Roll: Lead Vocals
Jack Fowler: Lead Guitar
Cody Ash: Drums
Alex Howard: Bass
Casey “Strumz” Jarvis: Rhythm Guitar
Setlist:
1.I Am Not Okay
2.Burned
3.Halfway to Hell
4.Get By
5.Son of a Sinner
6.Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks Cover w/ Alexandra kay)
7. Man! I Feel Like A Woman (Shania Twain Cover w/ Alexandra Kay)
8.Good Riddance (Green Day Cover)
9.Lonley Road (MGK Cover)
10.Creature/Same Asshole/Wild Ones
11.She
12.Liar
13.Bottle and Mary Jane
14.Need a Favor
15.Smoking Section
16.Heart of Stone
17.Save Me
I’ve had a love for photography since I was young. Whether it was a Polaroid or a Kodak 110, I was always the kid with the camera. My love of music goes back even further. Nothing beats being at a show when those lights go down and the crowd goes nuts.
