Lainey Wilson
Rapper Jelly Roll has returned to his old alma mater, Tennessee’s Antioch High School, to visit with students following a tragic shooting incident that occurred on their grounds last month.
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The incident took place on Jan. 22 when a 17-year-old student opened fire inside the school’s cafeteria just after 11am. The shooting resulted in the deaths of a 16-year-old student and the perpetrator, while another two students were injured.
Over a month on from the tragedy, one of the school’s most famous graduates has returned to their old hallways, with Jelly Roll (also known as Jason DeFord) meeting with students on Tuesday (Feb. 25). According to a post from Metro Nashville Public Schools on Instagram, Jelly Roll visited to talk to students and staff about the tragedy. Full details of what was discussed have not been made available to the public.
“Thank you, Jelly Roll, for reaching out to the Antioch community and offering some comfort during a difficult time,” the post concluded. “We appreciate your support!”
Jelly Roll is one of the most prominent students to have attended the school, which is located 12 miles southeast of Downtown Nashville. Alongside former sportsmen and former North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, the only other notable entertainer to have walked the halls of Antioch High School is Yelawolf.
The brief return to his old school isn’t the first time that Jelly Roll has been there again in recent years. In May 2024, Jelly Roll visited Antioch High School as part of the Save the Music Foundation, speaking to the class of music tech teacher Robert “Rock” Kennedy, and offering students feedback on their own compositions. Additionally, the singer spoke with former teachers, and both addressed and performed for current students as part of an assembly.
Jelly Roll himself has asserted himself as a massive success story in recent years, finding widespread fame with his ninth album, 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel (itself named after a chapel in Antioch he previously attended), which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
His follow-up, 2024’s Beautifully Broken, gave him his first appearance atop the main chart and arrived following his debut Grammy nominations, which saw him in the running for best new artist and best country duo/group performance for his “Save Me” collab with Lainey Wilson.
While the music world didn’t receive its highly-anticipated Aerosmith reunion over the weekend, the reality wasn’t far off, with frontman Steven Tyler making his long-awaited return to the stage.
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In January, reports emerged that Tyler’s sixth annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party would be taking place on Sunday (Feb. 2) at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, with Aerosmith set to make a return performance.
Alongside appearances from Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Lainey Wilson, Tom Hamilton, Linda Perry, Matt Sorum, and Nuno Bettencourt, the reported Aerosmith reunion would have been the group’s first live show since Sept. 2023.
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While performing in Elmont, NY on Sept. 9 of that year, Tyler fractured his larynx, necessitating the postponement of shows on their Peace Out tour. Ultimately, these shows were canceled entirely when the band announced their retirement from touring in August 2024.
Though excitement for a reunion from Aerosmith members was high in the lead up to the Jam for Janie event on Sunday, the result was equally appreciated when Tyler took to the stage for a rare live appearance. Ultimately, the likes of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry weren’t on hand for the night, though bassist Tom Hamilton was.
Performing with Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, Tyler’s six-song set featured a rendition of Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic”, Extreme’s “More Than Words” with Mick Fleetwood, and “Dream On” with Lainey Wilson. Joined by Hamilton and the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson for performances of “Sweet Emotion”, and “Walk This Way” (which also featured English singer Jessie J), the high-profile set closed out with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker”.
Sunday’s performance was only Tyler’s second time appearing on stage since his vocal injury. In May 2024 – months before Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring – Tyler performed “Mama Kin” with the Black Crowes in London. At the time, the Black Crowes were planning to resume their role as the opening act for Aerosmith’s then-postponed Peace Out tour later in the year.
It’s currently unclear whether Tyler’s return to the live stage could result in anything more in the future, though Hamilton did speak to Boston’s WBUR in January to give an update on the possibility of one-off Aerosmith appearances down the line.
“Steven’s healing process is going really, really well, but it goes at its own pace,” Hamilton told the station. “Maybe Aerosmith will do something in the future, but it’s a big if and the last thing I want to be doing is to try and push Steven in that direction.
“If we do anything in the future, it would come from him,” he added.
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