“My name is Jason ‘Jelly Roll’ DeFord and I am from Nashville, Tennessee,” he said. “And I will tell you, I don’t know what heaven feels like, but if I had to guess, it feels like Stagecoach on a Saturday night, baby!”
Saving his “Hard Fought Hallelujah” performance with Lake for one of his last songs of the night, Jelly Roll told the audience, “I knew that it was important tonight to bring music of all sorts here and to make sure that I made my headline and debut here themed in the power of music.”
“I know that I fall short to the glory of God all the time,” Jelly Roll said. “I still cuss like a sailor. I still smoke a little smoke and drink a little drink like Eric Church, but man, I got a heart for God, y’all. I believe God can change and God can heal.”
Jelly Roll introduced Lake as the “biggest Christian artist in the world right now” and said he couldn’t believe Lake was there with him that night.
“Man, I can’t help but think,” Lake told Jelly Roll as he walked onstage, “don’t y’all think this is what heaven’s going to be like? [It’s] a taste of heaven.”
Lake praised Jelly Roll for changing people lives by being vulnerable. “I just want to take a second and honor this man. He’s changing millions and millions of lives,” Lake said. “Thank you for sharing your story and being honest and vulnerable, and you changed my life, man, thank you. I love you, bro.”
As the song ended, Lake told the crowd, “Hey, I know you’ve heard it tonight, but let me be one more person to remind you that God loves you, he’s for you, he’s got a plan for your life, and if you’re going through a hard fought time right now, keep going. Better days are ahead.”
Before singing his final song of the night, Jelly Roll told fans that they have changed his family’s life by embracing his music. “I’ve broke generational curses because y’all listen to my music,” he said, sharing that he was just recommended by the parole board for a full pardon of his crimes.
“I’ve redeemed myself and y’all have let me do it in front of the entire world. A thank you is not enough, but thank you,” Jelly Roll said. “Thank you!”
Earlier this year, Lake defended his collaboration with Jelly Roll during an interview with K-LOVE Morning Show’s Carlos. “I don’t know what Bible somebody’s reading that would hate on a collaboration like this,” Lake said. “If you look at Jesus’ life, look who he spent time with. Even the 12 he called were jacked up—you know.”
The “Hard Fought Hallelujah” collaboration has landed Lake and Jelly Roll performances on “American Idol,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and the Grand Ole Opry.
 at country music festival Stagecoach, Brandon Lake joined Jelly Roll onstage to sing their chart-topping hit “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”){kind=link}