It’s quite remarkable how quickly Jelly Roll has risen up the ranks. Starting out as a hip-hop artist in Nashville, he has turned himself into one of the world’s leading country singers with his song  “Son of a Sinner” launching him into the country music sphere. Alongside performances at the Grand Ole Opry and subsequent singles that have climbed the charts around the world off the back of his Beautifully Broken album, Jelly Roll has achieved worldwide fame. As a result, he came to Sydney for the first time for a sold-out show at Qudos Bank Arena.

It’s pretty remarkable for an artist making their debut in Australia to sell out what can be a  cavernous venue, but it speaks to how popular Jelly Roll is and how popular country music has become in Australia. The crowd not only got to see Jelly Roll but also Shaboozey, who played alongside him for this concert. Shaboozey played a short set but showed off the many hits that he has in his own right, including one of the biggest country songs of the year “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which had the whole crowd dancing and singing along. 

“The more I play these shows, the more y’all become my family,” said the singer towards the end of his set, which certainly endeared him to the crowd. It was a great way to set the tone for the evening and a wonderful stylistic prelude to Jelly Roll. 

Another great thing about the night was that there was a constant wall of sound, even during the intermissions. During the first break, Jelly Roll had a DJ keep the crowd hyped and during the second, Julia Cole played an acoustic set, which was a nice contrast to the rest of the night.

When Jelly Roll took the stage, the crowd was in a frenzy. He opened the show by walking through the large audience mosh pit (which had been expanded by removing some of the seats) and started on the rear stage with “I’m Not OK” enclosed by a burning house. Immediately, the power of Jelly Roll’s voice came through, resonating beautifully through Qudos Bank Arena as the crowd was instantly moved. After a performance of one of his biggest hits “Liar” he moved into some covers with the crowd acting as his choir for “Take Me Home, Country Roads” which he mashed up into his own song “Lonely Road”. He then moved onto Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You”, which only received a lukewarm cheer when announced (for reasons completely unknown of course) but the performance was smooth and eventually had the audience singing along.

Jelly Roll’s joy at being in Australia was evident and genuine from the outset. 

“I’ve been here for two days and I feel like an honorary Australian,” he said. 

To celebrate, he played a roaring cover of “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” by The Angels, complete with the trademark crowd response. Through these covers, it became clear just how strong Jelly Roll’s country voice is, full of poignance, power and a real ability to connect with the raw emotion of the songs.

He then brought Shaboozey back on stage, describing him as “one of the most talented songwriters of our generation,” for their smash hit single “Amen”. It was great to hear the two together, performing from opposite sides of the stage in a way that showed their connection and highlighted how the two of them have managed to combine country and hip-hop in a way that’s rarely been seen before.

As the set reached its midpoint, Jelly Roll showed off the richness of his voice with some slower ballads. His song “Hard-Fought Hallelujah” was a true emotional moment before he moved on to “Halfway to Hell”, which, in an especially powerful moment, he dedicated to someone in the audience recovering from alcoholism before singing his first hit, “Son of a Sinner”. Jelly Roll was open about his own struggles throughout the concert, which made the songs even more meaningful for the audience as he told the story of his life through his music.

Jelly Roll then played his collaboration with Alex Warren “Bloodline” where he spoke about the relationship he had with his father and the intergenerational alcoholism that had affected his family. He followed that with a covers medley featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nickelback, Miley Cyrus and Wiz Khalifa which was an eclectic mix that actually flowed quite well together and showed off Jelly Roll’s range. He also brought out opening act Drew Baldridge to perform “Friends in Low Place” with the audience singing along to the country classic.

Then came one of the night’s big surprises as Jelly Roll brought out UFC star Alex Volkanovski to duet with him on “Need a Favour”. Interestingly, Volkanovski could actually hold a tune although it was definitely Jelly Roll who carried most of the song. Jelly Roll concluded the show on the rear stage with an emotional performance of “Save Me”, which really showed off the power of his voice as the audience stood in awe for one last song.

Overall, this was a superb concert. Jelly Roll’s voice is beautiful and the sets were extraordinary, with his unique brand of country music was something the audience clearly appreciated. While there were perhaps more covers than expected, it was his own music that really shone through. Jelly Roll is sure to become extremely well known in Australia’s country music scene and there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing him again very soon. A great concert and a great experience for everyone in the audience.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Jelly Roll – Qudos Bank Arena – 4 November 2025

Photo: Chum Photos