Jelly Roll has been making headlines all year long but his latest newsworthy performance is one of epic proportions.
On Saturday, September 13, the 40-year-old country star took the stage at the “Grace for the World” event in Italy’s Vatican City, where he sang his Brandon Lake collaboration “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” Jelly didn’t solely sing his heart out, though. The “Save Me” singer got to meet Pope Leo XIV while visiting Vatican City, as well. Suffice to say, it’s a Jelly Roll moment that will go down in the music history books.
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“From rock bottom to holy ground,” Jelly captioned a photo of himself shaking the Pope’s hand. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
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It was a moment that nearly 500,000 fans swarmed to on social media, filling Jelly’s Instagram feed with nothing but high praise. “To know you and watch you walk the right path, man… I’m so proud to know you. One of the best humans to walk this earth. Love you brother,” actor Chase Stokes commented on Jelly’s Instagram post. “PRAISE GOD!!! This is insane bro,” Russell Dickerson exclaimed in the comments of Jelly’s clip of the performance. “Jelly Roll singing in the Vatican, that wasn’t even in my wishlist, but it’s gonna be one of my 2025 highlights, you rock it dude! So well deserved,” one fan wrote. “Crushed it! This is what our world needs right now more than ever. Thanks for leading us Jelly,” Brandon Lake chimed in.
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Part of what makes Jelly’s performance in Vatican City so special is the fact that, not long ago, he wasn’t even allowed to perform overseas due to past felonies. In May of this year, Jelly announced that he was finally greenlit to travel and perform abroad, which he went on to do with Post Malone as part of his Big Ass World Tour. Here’s the kicker, though: Those shows typically drew crowds of around 35,000 to 50,000. Jelly’s Vatican performance? It’s said to have drawn over 70,000 attendees, with over 253,000 people in St. Peter’s Square for the full event, according to Disney. Talk about a milestone moment.
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“A man that couldn’t leave the country not that long ago, went from that to playing inside Vatican City… you truly are amazing… is there anything you can’t do?🙌” one fan commented on Instagram. “Redemption at its finest. Thanks for being an example, bub,” singer Luke Edgemon remarked.
The “Grace for the World: Live Event in Rome” marked the first concert in St. Peter’s Square in 2,000 years. The event was directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli, with additional performances by the two, along with Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Teddy Swims, the Voices of Fire Gospel Choir, the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, and more. The full concert is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
