Jelly Roll gets his first passport stamp. After taking the continental US by storm over the past two years, the 'Save Me' singer announced his first international gig on Tuesday morning (June 18). Concerts will include a July 8 performance at the Meridian Center in St. Louis; Future Islands, Killer Mike, Maroon 5 and Mt. Joy, among others.
“The Heather Winterstein Foundation and Heather Winterstein's family are grateful that Jelly Roll is honoring us with his first Canadian concert on our behalf,” Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Dockstader said in a statement. “His dedication to raising awareness, sharing his story of healing and advocating for treatments for substance use disorders is a beacon of hope for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across Turtle Island. His message brings the struggles of our loved ones into the open and helps us celebrate the healing journeys of our loved ones in our community, offering opportunities for equality and reconciliation.”
Jelly Roll, 39, who has scored three No. 1 hits on Canadian radio to date, will visit Canada for the first time to play a benefit for the foundation dedicated to providing support to Indigenous youth for mental health and addictions, as well as scholarships to pursue careers in health care. tickets for the show will go on sale starting at 10am. ET on Thursday (June 20), with the general presale starting at 10 a.m. ET here.
“When the opportunity arose to bring Jelly Roll, we jumped at it,” said Ottawa Bluesfest executive and artistic director Mark Monahan. “He's got an amazing story and he's a great performer.” The visit from the country star is such a big deal that the festival will start a day early to accommodate Jelly, who will perform on the RBC stage. tickets for the July 9 concert go on sale at 10am on Wednesday (June 19) here.
Before Tuesday's announcement of the two Canadian shows, Jelly Roll had not booked dates in Canada — or abroad — because of visa restrictions tied to arrests and convictions earlier in his life.
“It's funny, America finally agreed to let me go and give me a passport, but some countries won't let me come because of my felonies,” Jelly told Jon Bon Jovi in an interview earlier this month. “We are working on it. I think it will work in my favor.” On Howard Stern's SiriusXM show last week, after the host asked if Jelly's past misdemeanors were preventing him from using that passport, the singer said, “I actually got on the phone with a lawyer yesterday, we're working on … he's good, he's starting to they look promising. It didn't look good even just six months ago, but it's starting to look really promising.”
Jelly Roll has been open about his past brushes with the law and prison time, including dozens of stints behind bars on drug charges dating back to when he was 14, as well as an arrest at 16 for aggravated robbery that led to a year in prison when tried as an adult. He faced a possible 20-year sentence in that case, though he served just over a year behind bars and seven years on probation. He also spoke about the regrets he felt about the time in 2008, at the age of 23, he was locked up for drug dealing while his daughter Bailee was born.
Among the effects of his youthful indiscretion was, until recently, the inability to secure a passport and book shows outside the US due to legal restrictions on travel by ex-felons.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/jelly-roll-books-first-international-tour-dates-canada-1235712266/