Jelly Roll • The Beautifully Broken Tour • Chicago

A sold out United Center was Jelly Roll’s latest conquest and it proved to be a historic occasion considering it marked the exact release date of the “Beautifully Broken” album, and despite fans not having a ton of time to get prepared for the new cuts, they were nonetheless instantly engaged. In fact, “I Am Not Okay” could very well be a career-defining cut given its honesty, connectively and a colossal chorus that found many screaming along in cathartic release for any emotion they were encountering, a symbolism further illustrated when a house frame was raised and set on fire in the middle of the arena.

Jelly Roll is literally saving lives along the way while admitting he’s been “Halfway To Hell” as the “Son Of A Sinner,” yet there was still plenty of reasons to celebrate, including covers of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!,” both featuring opener Alexandra Kay. Speaking of collaborations, “Lonely Road” was originally cut with Machine Gun Kelly and continued to tip its hat towards John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” prior to a medley of the older “Creature,” “Same A**hole,” “Fall In The Fall” and “Wild Ones.” “Liar” caught the crowd back up to present tense, “Need A Favor” adapted a gospel-like fervor, “Smoking Section” lit up the already energetic atmosphere and “Heart Of Stone” raised one last round of revelry.

An encore of “Save Me,” complete with a cleansing rain storm on the secondary stage, offered an extra chance for Jelly Roll to dive deep into another anthem’s inspirational and redemptive essence, making everyone’s burdens feel a lot lighter as they toasted a prime example of relentless perseverance.