By Kalena Reynolds | Arts & Life Editor
Baylor is preparing for a swarm of fans after announcing the upcoming Post Malone and Jelly Roll concert on May 19 at McLane Stadium. The tour will also be opened by Nashville country singer Carter Faith. The duo will be stopping in multiple college towns for The BIG Stadium Tour Part 2. The show will mark a new era for Baylor as it pushes to bring more musical artists to the city.
As a Grammy-winning artist, Jelly Roll is well experienced within the country music scene. Amassing a top three on the Billboard 200 All Genre Chart with his debut country album “Whitsitt Chapel.” Equally as successful, Dallas artist Post Malone recently debuted his country album “F-1 Trillion.” The album landed in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, solidifying Malone’s place in country music.
While Malone and other artists continue to make the transition from rap, pop and hip-hop to country, fans continue to gravitate towards the newer sound. Aside from his success in country, Malone has amassed over 40 billion streams on Spotify and six No. 1 hits.
The tour will also be opened by Nashville country singer Carter Faith.
Post Malone and Jelly Roll’s stop in Waco is set “to be the biggest concert” at McLane Stadium in its 11-year history, said Jason Cook, Baylor vice president of marketing and communication and chief marketing officer. Coming from both a goal to boost entertainment and assist in the economic development of the city of Waco, Cook said the event serves both the community and the artistry of the town.
McLane Stadium previously hosted “The Boys from Oklahoma Texas Encore,” which was co-headlined by Cross Canadian Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours. The event was the largest non-football event in the history of McLane Stadium and brought in more than 37,000 fans.
“When we had The Boys from Oklahoma here in August, it sold out every hotel room in the city,” Cook said. “We expect the same again as well, filling our restaurants and filling our tour spots around town.”
Cook also said Jelly Roll’s faith plays a large part in Baylor’s excitement for the upcoming event.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better timing with Jelly Roll winning three Grammys just the night before our announcement,” Cook said. “In one of his acceptance speeches, [he] talked about the transformation that the Lord had in his life, and it really saved his life.”
As Waco begins to prepare for a stacked lineup of entertainment, Cook said Live Nation, which is producing the tour for the country trio, intentionally chose college towns for its show itinerary.
“They [Post Malone and Jelly Roll] played the big cities from around the country, but [played] the smaller venues so they could expand their reach to different audiences,” Cook said. “You look around the country, musicians, particularly in the country genre, are playing a lot of colleges and universities right now.”
Baylor has announced multiple other upcoming shows in both Foster Pavilion and McLane Stadium: the Harlem Globetrotters “100 Year Tour” on Feb. 14, country artist Hudson Westbrook on April 24 and nortena artists La Fiera de Ojinaga and Los Pescadores del Río Conchos on July 19.
Katy graduate student Megan Adamik said she was “super shocked and surprised,” but also “very enthused and excited” about the concert. Adamik said she is a frequent listener of Post Malone and that her dad enjoys Jelly Roll, so she is going to “try her hardest” to be at the concert.
Galveston graduate student Marek Elikan said he first heard the news of the trio’s stop in Waco from his girlfriend.
“It’s definitely going to be one of the biggest artists to come through this area in probably a long time, and one of the biggest stadium shows to go on in this area,” Elikan said.
Artist presale tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, and concertgoers must sign up at https://livemu.sc/postmalone. General public tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 10 at baylorbears.evenue.net/events/CON. Baylor students, faculty and staff will receive an email with an exclusive code to purchase tickets from 3 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Feb. 9.
For those who want a more exclusive experience, VIP packages will be available to purchase at vipnation.com for Post Malone and Jelly Roll. The concert will also include full concert amenities, including beer.
