Jesse Welles is something like a time-traveler. From his 70s-style hair to his poignant songwriting, to his poetic spirit that seems to be timeless—he is connecting people from all walks of life and at every age.
Last week, Welles completed his Fear is the Mind Killer Tour in the US, with his second-to-last stop being a sold-out show, “An Evening with Jesse Welles,” in Dallas at The Kessler Theater.
Welles is known for his confrontational and empathetic folk music, coupled with his mastery of guitar, rustic voice and bravery to tackle social issues. Beyond his polarizing political satire songs that has made him famous through social media, there is a deep well of soul-quenching lyricism throughout his discography.
In the past 12 months, the prolific songwriter has released 128 recorded songs, including three full-length studio albums, an EP, and a collection of 63 songs called Under The Powerlines (April 24 – September 24), from his social media videos.
At The Kessler, a notable detail that was a bit surprising to see upon arriving was the beefed up security at the venue, where a security guard had a metal detector to check for weapons. Immediately, it was a stark reminder that the nature of Welles’ work can come with consequences. But that hasn’t stopped the rising folk hero from using his voice.
His set in Dallas bobbed and weaved through his catalogue, kicking the crowd off hard with “Fat” straight into “Walmart,” both becoming the first of many sing-a-longs of the night. The cheers from the crowd at times were deafening, as Welles pulled Dallas into a pocket universe of his creation. The front row pressed up at the front of the stage looked to be mostly 20-somethings, though the crowd was littered with people of all ages–as his music penetrates multiple generations.
After some topical fan favorites like “Whistle Boeing,” “United Health,” and “Cancer,” Welles transitioned into some of his more personal tracks like “See Arkansaw” and “New Moon” from his sophomore album Patchwork. As he sang “Saint Steve Irwin,” there was a reverence in the air, as every eye and ear in the room was fixated on the stage. Lyrics like “I can see a light at the end of the tunnel / Then again it could be the train / I can work this out / Nothing’s holding me back / There’s hope on the horizon / Or maybe the Earth’s just flat” exemplifies Welles’ knack for taking words of olde and giving them new perspective.
There is a magic in the way Welles can play an uplifting cooing melody like “Turtles,” then perform a heart-wrenching rendition of his redemption song “Let It Be Me,” like someone who has weathered the worst of storms and is now laying their soul bare for a room full of familiar strangers.
An hour into the show, Welles ended the solo part of the set with fan-favorite “Bugs,” and then got his band on stage to perform for another whole hour. They kicked it off with “God, Abraham, and Xanax,” a song that juxtaposes biblical references with the modern human experience from his debut album Hells Welles. His provocative songwriting tackles many issues including religion and violence with songs like “War is a God,” which feels like a pacifist’s war-cry.
The band got the crowd dancing with “Domestic Error,” with a studio recording set to release this Wednesday, as a dual single release alongside “Red.” KXT fans may have recognized “Horses” at the show, which is currently in rotation at the station from Welles’ new album Middle.
The rocking title track for the tour, “Fear is the Mind Killer,” was the band’s last song before encore chants of “JESSE! JESSE! JESSE!” beckoned the artist back on stage to end with a couple solo songs, including “Middle.”
After the show, Welles popped up in the lobby to meet with fans and sign merch, emanating a quiet confidence with a humble demeanor & offering his time to people that connect with his frequency.
Jesse Welles feels like a breath of fresh air for a world choking on toxicity. His sold-out US and European tours affirm that there is something special to be found in his live performance. You can catch him on tour this festival season at May 17 at FreshGrass (Bentonville, AR), June 1 at Railbird Music Festival (Lexington, KY) and July 26 at Newport Folk Festival (Newport, RI).
See the bottom of this article for a Spotify Playlist of his (approximate) set list 4/9/25 at The Kessler.
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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