Concert by singer-songwriter Jesse Welles with special guest Hudson Freeman, presented by WCBE.
Jesse Welles brings his Red Tour 2026 to KEMBA Live! on Monday, October 26, with Hudson Freeman opening. The show is presented by WCBE.
Welles is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Ozark, Arkansas, who works in the tradition of the traveling troubadour, reporting from the frontlines of a divided country and healing with humor. He calls Ozark home: his father worked as a mechanic, his mother as a school teacher, and his grandfather copied The Beatles' White Album and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for him. At 12, he bought a $56 guitar from Walmart and fed his obsession by checking CDs out of the public library, taking in Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie.
He later moved to Nashville and fronted the band Welles, playing 280 shows in a year alongside acts like Royal Blood, Highly Suspect, Greta Van Fleet, and Dead Sara. After being dropped by his label, he returned to Arkansas. When his father suffered a heart attack in February 2024, he began posting performances filmed out in the cold, and those videos have since drawn more than a million Instagram followers. That's the version of him that's touring now: the solo singer-songwriter rather than the front of a full band.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Columbus and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
Doors open at 6 PM at KEMBA Live!, 405 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. It's an indoor venue, and Hudson Freeman opens for Welles.
