The Iowa State Fair loves Jelly Roll, and Jelly Roll loves the Iowa State Fair right back.
The 39-year-old singer and rapper, whose real name is Jason DeFord, performed Saturday at the Grandstand to a sold-out crowd . Fans of all ages turned out for the show that had everyone in the house, from the general admission pit to the very back row of the stands, on their feet for the hour-and-40-minute show.
“Iowa, I have been waiting on this show,” he told the enthusiastic crowd.
Jelly Roll has had a big year, sweeping multiple categories at the CMT Music Awards, earning two Grammy Award nominations , and releasing top-charting songs like his collaboration with Lainey Wilson, “Save Me.” The artist, who began his career in the hip-hop genre before transitioning to playing country music, brought flair to the fair both literally and figuratively, from the nature of his genre-bending music to pyrotechnic displays.
Jelly Roll opened with “The Lost,” a song from his 2023 album “Whitsitt Chapel,” and played four songs before addressing concertgoers while pacing from one side of the stage to the other.