On a hot June afternoon in 2026, Jesse Welles set up in New York’s Washington Square Park with a guitar, a harmonica, and no stage. He had posted the plan on Instagram only hours earlier, and fans gathered quickly. Late in the set, Margo Price joined him for John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery.” Welles is now on his Red Tour, and the first Nashville date is this Friday, October 16. The Washington Square set shows what he does on the street: he brings his songs to whoever is standing nearby. Relix and JamBase both covered the pop-up.
From Ozark to the Headlines
Welles grew up in Ozark, a small town in the hills of Northwest Arkansas. He sold homemade CDs as a teenager and spent much of his early twenties fronting bands. In 2023, he began posting cover songs on TikTok. The next year, after his father survived a heart attack, he started writing protest songs about current events, according to Wikipedia.
During 2024, he filmed himself performing beneath powerlines in the Arkansas woods. Those videos built a large following, and Saving Country Music later reported that the audio from them was collected into a 63-song release, Under the Powerlines. His first album under his own name, Middle, arrived in February 2025, as he explained on WYEP’s Live & Direct session. His official biography says the album earned 2026 Grammy nominations for Best Americana Album, and its title track received a nomination for Best American Roots Song.
Georgetown Independent notes that Welles was inspired by Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. That lineage is easy to hear, but his lyrics are more direct than either of those earlier folk writers. As with any artist who strays into politics, Welles’ lyrics won’t resonate across the whole spectrum, but his musicianship deserves respect. He can write a song that pulls at the heart as much as the mind. “Won’t You Come Out Tonight,” from Masks Off that shows that side of him. Listen to Welles perform it live at WFUV:
“I’m trying to find a through-line that’s honest.”
Jesse Welles, speaking with NME
The Sidewalk Is the Stage
Welles’s songs take on health insurance, immigration enforcement, and war. He plays them wherever a crowd will form. On June 11, 2026, he played a show in Nashville’s The Basement parking lot. Grimey’s New & Preloved Music sponsored the show, but the crowd needed more room than the record store could hold. A full band played that night, and Welles stepped out alone for a couple of songs with only his guitar and harmonica. On June 15, 2026, he played a pop-up set at The Wiener’s Circle, the late-night hot dog stand in Chicago. Under the Radar described a curbside show with children and neighborhood dogs gathered nearby. Welles also went behind the counter to make hot dogs and sign records for fans.
The Washington Square set was filmed by Santo Donia and posted to YouTube, where you can watch it here:
Jesse Welles Red Tour: Five Shows in Six Days
The Red Tour runs through October 26 in Columbus, Ohio, as Consequence reported. The Nashville stop opens the final stretch on Friday, October 16, at The Pinnacle at Nashville Yards, with Hudson Freeman opening. Welles plays Chicago’s Salt Shed on October 17, Cleveland’s Agora Theatre on October 18, and Pittsburgh’s Stage AE on October 20. The Red Tour reaches The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, October 21. Georgetown Independent reports that Hudson Freeman opens there too, with the show set for 8 p.m. Check the venue for door times before you go.
Expect a full band for most of the show, though Welles plays a few solo acoustic songs during the set, as he did in Nashville. The Washington Square set was a bare-bones street show, and these concerts will sound fuller. His most recent album, Masks Off, arrived in June. Welles has said that touring has inspired new songs, as his Farm Aid artist biography notes. Tour news and music are at wellesmusic.com.
Sources
- Relix, “Jesse Welles Unmasking the News”: relix.com
- JamBase, Washington Square Park coverage: jambase.com
- Laughing Squid, Washington Square Park video: laughingsquid.com
- Under the Radar, The Wiener’s Circle review: undertheradarmag.com
- NME, Jesse Welles interview: nme.com
- WYEP, Live & Direct session: wyep.org
- Farm Aid, artist biography: farmaid.org
- Consequence, Red Tour announcement: newsbreak.com
- Georgetown Independent, The Anthem preview: georgetownindy.com
- Saving Country Music: savingcountrymusic.com
- Wikipedia, Jesse Welles: en.wikipedia.org
- Jesse Welles official site: wellesmusic.com
A curated pick by Planet Mars Music Editorial Staff and crafted with the help of AI