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While the Harley Homecoming festival is taking over multiple locations throughout the city for the duration of the weekend, its loudest acts are revving things up at Veterans Park. On Friday night, a pair of country-leaning, multi-genre hybrids shifted things into a higher gear, as Jelly Roll and Hardy brought a fired up crowd to the lakefront.
Both headliners on Friday night showed that they belonged in their respective spots, as they each brought their own version of modern outlaw country attitude to the lakefront. A crowd that spent much of the day taking in motocross shows, a surprise appearance from WWE superstar Braun Strowman, and plenty of beverages would converge on the Willie G. Davidson main stage, more than ready for the night’s main attractions.
Blending country and a brash hard rock attitude, Hardy kicked things off, with the better part of a self-proclaimed 35,000 fans raising drinks and middle fingers with ease. The set also came complete with flamethrowers, steam cannons, and plenty of unfiltered storytelling from the Mississippi native, in between material from his recently released “Quit!!” project. Now with four full-length projects to his name, he had plenty to pull from, and tackled everything from domestic abuse (on the Lainey Wilson-assisted “Wait In the Truck”) to his frustration with mainstream appeal on “Radio Song.”
He would also hop on a brief soapbox about taking pride in the United States before a cover of Blake Shelton’s “God's Country,” and briefly lead the crowd in an abbreviated singalong of Creed’s “My Sacrifice” and “One Last Breath.” In 75 minutes, there truly was no stone left unturned, and the majority of the Veterans Park crowd hung on with every twist and turn along the way. On “Jim Bob,” Hardy would rap about having some demons, and it felt like they were all getting exercised during his set, leaning on his rock elements at times more often than not, which played well for the live setting.
The man of the night, however, was 2024 GRAMMY Best New Artist nominee Jelly Roll, who made his presence felt from the moment he took the stage. The country-rap combo has already sold out the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, and he would greet an even larger crowd on Friday, at one point saying that it was the biggest show that he’s ever done in the Midwest.
With an intro that sounded like a radio dial mixing everything from Three 6 Mafia to Kid Rock and Bon Jovi snippets, the Tennessee rapper let you know exactly what you were in for from the jump. He would fire things up (literally) with “Halfway To Hell,” complete with flames shooting up on just about every line of the chorus.Over the course of the night, he would go on to tell you about all of his influences, attributing his country roots to his mother, rock music to his sister, and “gangsta rap,” which he felt would have polarizing reactions from the crowd, to his brother. Later on he’d double down on that notion with a quick hip hop medley that incorporated everything from Eazy-E’s “Boyz-N-Tha-Hood” to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend.”
If you came into Friday night’s show as a skeptic, you likely left finding it hard not to root for Jelly Roll, as he was personable and humble with every song break. He would thank the crowd repeatedly, before telling stories of his upbringing to segue from one song to another.He would also admit that he was having the best year of his life, before rattling off the list of awards he’s been nominated for and won so far. On the flipside, he would also detail visiting a Canadian hospital to play music for recovering addicts, before taking things down on “I Am Not Okay.” When he wanted to be somber, he could, and when he wanted to bring things back up, there was ease in doing that, too.
After listing off a number of country influences that ran the gamut from Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to George Strait, he built to a cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places” that was met with a full-voice singalong from the crowd. Jelly Roll’s outlaw country roots showed on Friday, but any time he wanted to raise some hell, he counterbalanced it with something that felt pure. That included bringing out a 13-year-old named Brady from Oshkosh who would rap a guest verse on “Creature,” all the while playing to the cameras like a veteran rapper at least double his age. The crowd would chant his name as he made his exit from the stage, but little did the crowd know that there were bigger cameos to come.
With just a single spotlight on him, Jelly Roll let the Veterans Park crowd know that it was a special night, and that “all this show needs now is a big ass Harley.” On cue, there was a surprise appearance from rapper-turned-pop-punk-star Machine Gun Kelly, who rolled to center stage on a bike before joining in on “Need A Favor.” After the track, MGK explained that he and Jelly Roll had a 15-year history, which started with a beef that the two had since settled, and ultimately led to collaborating with one another. The two then debuted “Lonely Road,” a brand new track that was released on Friday, which interpolates John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” before giving it a 2024 reboot.
Multiple times, Kelly would tell the crowd that “this song is gonna change our lives” after performing it, before making his exit so that Jelly Roll could hit his stride one final time. He would reappear, though, on a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” which Jelly Roll explained was a tribute to Gary Rossington of the band before he passed away. MGK sheepishly made his way back out, alongside an unplanned visit from Milwaukee-born UFC fighter Sergio Pettis from backstage. At one point, Pettis would end up with a microphone in his hand, but thankfully knew it wasn’t an opportunity to attempt launching a music career.
One final cameo would close out the night, with Priscilla Block filling in for Lainey Wilson on “Save Me.” She made for a more than fitting replacement, playing off of Jelly Roll’s earnest delivery on a song about addiction and recovery, all while fireworks rained down on the stage over the duo. A 90-minute show that started off fairly unassuming eventually built to a bona fide spectacle by its conclusion, with Jelly Roll telling the crowd to “watch out for the boys on two wheels” on their way home before making his exit. Within the course of an hour and a half, he had more than proved worthy of his headliner status, and brought plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Harley Homecoming continues on Saturday at Veterans Park, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Offspring, Cypress Hill and more. Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more, and check out our guide to all of the festivities here.
