The acclaimed folk/rock singer with an arsenal of protest songs delivered his searing messages to a sold-out Meijer Gardens audience on Monday. The review and photos at Local Spins.
‘Masks Off’: Jesse Welles performed several songs from his latest album on Monday evening. (Photo/Steve Baran)
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Millions of clicks became a live, sold-out audience Monday night at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park where viral voice and rising star Jesse Welles delivered a sharp three-act show of socially charged, topical anthems.
Welles began alone on stage with his guitar and a looming neon replica of the above-ground power poles and lines that fill American skies, imagery often used as the backdrop in the videos that launched him to fame.
He delivered a rapid-fire first act of eight punchy songs covering corporate greed (“United Health,” “Philanthropist,” “Fat”), working-class life (“Walmart,” “The Poor,” “Fentanyl”), and unjust politics (“Whirlwind”), including a new song, “There’s a Hole,” an absurdist takedown of the Iran war, the Pentagon, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that borrows grotesque imagery reminiscent of the current cyclospora outbreak.
In 2024, Welles skyrocketed to fame through his “Under the Powerlines” series of lyrically driven, unfettered folk songs and videos, earning millions of followers, high-profile appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Grammy Award nominations, and sold-out tours. With near-daily songs that feel like incredibly immediate responses to breaking news, Welles acts as both a symptom and a cure to the modern instantaneous news cycle and Gish gallop of crises and chaos – making social media as much a songwriting tool as a distribution platform.
It’s easy to compare Welles to protest songwriters of the past, but he isn’t a carbon copy of anything that came before him. Instead, he embodies the uniqueness of our messy zeitgeist, blending the twangy storytelling of country, the bird-flipping attitude of punk, and the charisma of rock ‘n’ d roll into music that moves at the speed of the Internet.
Meijer Gardens Debut: Welles on stage Monday night. (Photo/Steve Baran)
His opening acoustic set served as an effective bridge, leading followers from the intimacy of Welles’ solo social media videos into his full-band rock show. The electric sound produced by his band (guitar, keys, bass, drums) is more reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival than the oft-cited Bob Dylan.
During their 40-minute second act, the band tore through breakout hits such as “Join ICE,” “The Ballad of Big Balls” and “Masks Off,” which became riff-heavy and surprisingly danceable when plugged into the power grid. Well-timed covers of “War Pigs” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” along with a mash-up of “Whistle Boeing” and Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” that concluded with a grand piano solo, rounded out the set.
After more than an hour of non-stop playing, Welles invited opener Steph Strings back to the stage to help transition into another acoustic set with his 2024 release, “Saint Steve Irwin.”
Earlier in the evening, the 25-year-old from Melbourne, Australia – with a kick drum pedal under her right foot, a tambourine strapped to her left, and both hands masterfully navigating intricate fingerstyle guitar – had captivated the audience and earned a standing ovation after her five-song, instrumental-heavy set.
Back alone on stage, Welles reflected on his first visit to Grand Rapids. “Since I ain’t been here, we’re playing all the tunes,” he said.
That led into a powerful rendition of “Good Morning America,” a song about patriotism, resilience, and humanity that drew loud cheers from the crowd with arms raised and hands outstretched in praise and appreciation. Then, in one of the evening’s few personal moments, the 33-year-old Arkansas native spoke briefly about homesickness and the para-social relationship he has with his millions of followers.
“I ain’t been home since May,” he said. “I miss home, but it’s worth it to be out here playing to y’all. Singing to you guys is like meeting a pen pal. Y’all been clicking on my s—, and now we get to see each other, which is nice.”
That led into “That Can’t Be Right,” followed by lighter fare (“I Like Bugs,” “Turtles”) that eased the weight of the evening’s darker themes and reminded the audience that they were gathered on a beautiful summer night to celebrate being alive.
After a crowd-wide sing-along to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the full band returned for “Siddhartha,” “Technopagans,” a cover of CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” and an extended version of “Fear Is the Mind Killer” as the encore.
Welles’ virality could still be heard all the way to the parking lot, where his songs spilled from the open windows of pickup trucks and Priuses, motorcycles and family SUVs, as his fans and followers waited in the long queue to leave and get back to work tomorrow.
Local Spins contributor Dutcher Snedeker, who also attended Monday’s show, called Welles “a prime example of how studying the past can lend itself to a powerful message that resonates across generations.”
“Audiences of all ages packed out the sold-out show to not just to see the novelty of a viral Internet personality in the wild,” he added in summing up the show, “but to celebrate an artist with conviction in his message, teeth behind his music, and a heart for the working class who cheers him on.”
Next Up at Meijer Gardens: Men at Work, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife perform at 6 p.m. Wednesday. A few tickets, $98-$103, remain available online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jesse Welles, Steph Strings at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Steve Baran
SET LIST: Jesse Welles at Meijer Gardens
Setlist.fm
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