Jelly Roll loves Michigan. And Michigan loves Jelly Roll.
This has never been clearer than at his headlining performance at Faster Horses Friday. The 39-year-old singer came on stage 15 minutes early to perform, his singing accented by plumes of smoke and fire onstage and illuminated by the nearly full moon. A fan in the crowd hoisted their red prosthetic leg in the air for Jelly Roll to sign — which he did.
“What a f— show to be the opening night of,” Jelly Roll said on stage. “This is like home away from home, this is a homecoming show for me here in Michigan.”
The artist, who began his career in the hip-hop genre before transitioning to playing country music, brought his own flair to the country music festival. In between playing emotional songs like “Son of a Sinner” and “I Am Not Okay,” Jelly Roll covered songs like “Boyz in the Hood” and “Ms Jackson” in a hip-hop mashup. The crowd loved this; fans chanted “Jelly, Jelly” once it was over.
Jelly Roll also brought two artists who played earlier in the day back out on stage, Tyler Hubbard to cover “Friends in Low Places” and Cody Johnson to sing “Son of a Sinner.” He also brought out DJ Chill from Nashville, who sported a Detroit Tigers jersey.
Thousands of people spilled into the grounds of the Michigan International Speedway this Friday for the first day of Faster Horses, the three-day country music festival. The festival is now in its 11th year since it’s first showing in 2013 and it is only growing bigger and better.
One thing that stays the same each year at Faster Horses is the prevalence of booze. The closer you get to the Main Stage, the sticky sweet smell of spilled seltzers grows stronger. In every direction, festgoers salute the stage with Miller Lite cans the size of their head and Red, White & Berry Smirnoff Ice Smashes. These drinks aren’t cheap, either: a mango White Claw costs $16 and a domestic beer like a Coors Light costs $15.
Right before Jelly Roll took the stage, Johnson played a 90-minute set. In between playing songs off of his 2023 album “Leather,” Johnson took the time to pay tribute to the military, police, firefighters and first responders. He also condemned the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump last Saturday, saying “it’s absolutely disgusting.”
“You want to make a change in our country, go out and vote on election day,” Johnson said. “There’s only three things that matter to me in this country: Red, white and blue!”
After a raucous round of applause, Johnson sang “God Bless America” alongside the crowd, who chanted “U-S-A!” once he finished. Festgoers waved their cowboy hats and drinks in the air as they cheered in approval.
Earlier in the day, Hubbard, half of musical duo Florida Georgia Line, got the crowd on their feet with some of his songs from his 2024 solo album “Strong” and throwbacks like “Meant to Be” by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line and “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line.
“Thank y’all for showing up to party, let’s have some fun,” Hubbard said on stage. “I know this is the rowdiest crowd in the nation right here.”
Between sets on the Main Stage, DJ Rod Youree kept the crowd’s energy up by playing both country and pop hits. The soulful voice of Zach Bryan rang across the field as festgoers sang along to his hit song “Revival” just as loudly as they screamed when the first they recognized the iconic intro to The Killers’ “Mr Brightside. During “Shots” by Lil Jon, the crowd obediently raised their hands when they heard the line, “Now where my alcoholics? Let me see yo’ hands up!”
No festival is complete without the attire to go with it. Some people took the official theme for Friday, “Neon Cowboy,” very seriously. Their bright yellow bikini tops and Barbie-pink jumpsuits were juxtaposed by the unofficial theme of Faster Horses: the good ol’ USA. Several people sported “Arrest This!” t-shirts featuring former president Donald Trump flipping the double bird amid a sea of American flag tank tops and red-white-and-blue hair ribbons.
There were also a few festgoers repping “Hawk Tuah, spit on that thang” shirts, a reference to a viral video-turned-meme of 21-year-old Hailey Welch, who then became “Hawk Tuah” girl.
29-year-old Katie Moss of Shelby Township took the neon theme to heart. Decked out in pink from head to toe, Moss wore an iridescent cowboy hat and boots, bedazzled cowboy boot earrings and heart-shaped sunglasses. She’s already looking forward to the themes for Saturday and Sunday: The 70’s and Rockstar Rodeo, respectively.
“Tomorrow I’m doing a floral and jean look,” Moss said. “Sunday, I’m doing a black and stars thing.”
This is Moss’ third year coming to Faster Horses, and she is grateful for the nice weather: in a previous year, lightning forced her and other attendees to evacuate.
“I’m excited for Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson,” Moss said. “You get to see a lot of people, a lot of country artists. Good vibes, good people.”
mhammond@detroitnews.com
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