Jelly Roll joins Noah Kahan for 'Stick Season' encore at first night of Nashville shows

At his first of two shows in Music City, Noah Kahan brought Nashville music royalty Jelly Roll onto the stage at Bridgestone Arena for a duet.

For the final song of his show on the "We'll All Be Here Forever Tour," the two sang a rumbling, hearty rendition of Kahan's biggest hit, "Stick Season."

The "Northern Attitude" indie-alt folk singer—clad in a Nashville Predators jersey—and the "Need a Favor" country star put their unique spin on "Stick Season," a song that Kahan sang with Kelsea Ballerini at the ACM Awards last week.

When the song came to the second verse, Jelly Roll walked out onto the stage, and the crowd went wild.

Kahan said, "Welcome to the stage, one of my closest friends, Jelly Roll!"

Jelly Roll sang the song's popular chorus with grit, belting, "And I love Vermont, but it's the season of the sticks / And I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed."

Later, the two bounced back and forth during a chorus, alternating between lines. It brought the house down.

Toward the end of the song, and as the band played behind, Jelly Roll shouted into the mic.

"Nashville, Tennessee!" he said. "Make some noise for one of the most prolific songwriters, one of the greatest f***ing humans I've ever met....Mr. Noah Kahan!"

As the crowd screamed and confetti rained down at the end of the show, Jelly Roll beamed and bowed down to Kahan.

Jelly Roll's appearance was undeniably one of the top highlights of the night for concert-goers, but just one of many.

Throughout the evening, Kahan played a 21-song set list that showcased his master lyricism, energetic performance style, and a band full of mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. A packed crowd—many members of which were wearing overalls and French braided pigtails—sang along to every song.

Kahan shouted out the importance of mental health, paid homage to his hometown of Strafford, Vermont, sported his impressive falsetto and belted his heart out.

"I'm so nervous! I'm so excited. I can't believe I'm here," Kahan told the crowd at the top of the show.

"I played my first show here at The Basement on 8th Avenue," he said, talking about his time living in Nashville after high school.

"No one knew what the f*** I was gonna do, and I guess this was it. Thank you so much for sticking with me. I love you guys," he said.

At one point, Kahan and his band switched to an intimate acoustic set for songs "Come Over" and "Godlight." Behind Kahan were hanging pictures of him and his siblings from his childhood.

He told the crowd that he's on the road so much that, for a couple of songs, he wanted to decorate the stage like his childhood living room. Hearing fans sing his music also makes him feel at home.

Kahan was vulnerable about his mental health, addressing the audience about the importance of taking care of oneself before singing "Growing Sideways."

World Mental Health Day: On World Mental Health Day, Noah Kahan announces initiative has raised over $1.9 million for resources

"I've had a hard time adjusting to life as it's changed a lot for me," he said. "I hope that everyone here is taking care of their mental health this month and every month...It's hard."

Kahan told the crowd he always tells his fans to work hard on their mental health, but sometimes he really struggles and it makes him feel like a hypocrite. "I want you to know I'm going through it too. I love ya."

Kahan's non-profit, the Busyhead Project, which supports mental health care, had representatives present at the Nashville show. Each tour stop includes a 'Busyhead Project Action Village' that amplifies the voices of local mental health organizations.

At the Nashville show, Just Us, a non-profit that supports Nashville's LGBTQ+ youth, spoke with fans before the concert.

On Saturday night, Kahan will return to the Bridgestone stage for his second Nashville show.

To read more about Noah Kahan, head to noahkahan.com.

Noah Kahan's Nashville Set List

Dial Drunk

New Perspective

Everywhere Everything

False Confidence

Forever

Come Over

Godlight

Paul Revere

All My Love

The Great Divide

You're Gonna Go Far

Homesick

Growing Sideways

Strawberry Wine

She Calls Me Back

Passenger

Carlo's Song

Orange Juice

Northern Attitude

Encore: The View Between Villages, Stick Season

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Noah Kahan duets with Jelly Roll at first night of Nashville shows