Country superstar Jelly Roll brought more than just his music to the Closing Ceremony for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on February 16 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.
As reported by People, the “American Idol” artist-in-residence shared an emotional message of gratitude for the military service personnel and veterans who competed in the seventh iteration of the Games created by Prince Harry, a former captain in the British Army, as an international sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick veterans.
“I am honored to stand in front of some of the greatest and strongest people across the entire world tonight,” Jelly Roll said.
He opened his set with the song “I Am Not Okay,” creating an emotional mood while shaking hands with people in the crowd, as captured on a video posted to the Rogers Arena X (formerly Twitter) page. Among several comments, one person stated, “He was amazing!!! At the start of the song, he planted a kiss on the forehead of one of the athletes – so genuine and caring.”
Jelly Roll Brings ‘My Form of Therapeutic Music’ to Invictus Games
GettyJelly Roll would later entertain the crowd with his song “Liar,” but not before sharing more special words for the people in attendance.
“First of all, I would just like to thank everybody with the Invictus Games for having me here tonight and letting me bring my form of therapeutic music here tonight to serve those who have served us across the world,” Jelly Roll said, according to People.
“But I want to be clear right now about what’s happening on this stage. I am an overweight man with a microphone. The real heroes are the athletes and the families that are in this building right now, and I want you to know, whenever you go home after these 11 days of adrenaline and you finally sit down and in a few months from now when the world finally comes back around, I want you to know this. If you ever hear that voice in your head saying you can’t be anything but great, it’s the voice of a liar!”
Jelly Roll’s Involvement with Invictus Games Announced in Humorous Skit with Prince Harry
Barenaked Ladies and The War and Treaty also performed during the Closing Ceremony according to People, which noted that over 500 athletes from 23 nations had traveled to British Columbia to compete in the 2025 version of the Invictus Games, which were February 8-16 in the cities of Vancouver and Whistler.
Jelly Roll’s involvement in the event had been announced November 9, 2024 in a humorous video that included Prince Harry. Posted to the Instagram accounts for both Jelly Roll and the Invictus Games, the short skit showed Jelly Roll meeting Prince Harry at the tattoo parlor East Side Ink in New York City, where the country music artist pretended to give the member of the British royal family a tattoo on his neck as part of the negotiation process.
“I’ll see you in Vancouver!” Jelly Roll playfully called out as he left the room. “I’ll be there, I appreciate you!”
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Jelly Roll Shares ‘Genuine and Caring’ Message for Invictus Games Athletes