Iconic television music series Austin City Limits (ACL) announces an exclusive worldwide livestream of singer-songwriter Jesse Welles’ Season 52 taping on Thursday, October 8. The Arkansas folk-rock troubadour and four-time 2026 GRAMMY-nominee makes his ACL debut with his distinctive blend of folk, Americana and rock, showcasing highlights from a prolific run of acclaimed albums, including his latest, Masks Off.
For one night only, fans around the globe can experience Jesse Welles’ Austin City Limits debut live from Austin, Texas. Streaming free exclusively at YouTube.com/AustinCityLimitsTV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, the livestream offers a rare opportunity to experience an Austin City Limits taping as it happens. ACL’s exclusive livestreams give music fans everywhere a front-row seat to the magic of one of television’s most iconic music stages. The full-set performance will be available only during the live event, offering an exclusive early look at Welles’ hour-long Season 52 episode ahead of it PBS broadcast premiere early next year. Full episodes are available to stream on the PBS App, PBS.org and the Austin City Limits YouTube Channel.
When you listen to Jesse Welles, you can practically hear the veil between lie and truth being lifted. The Ozark, Arkansas, singer, songwriter and guitarist has emerged as a singular voice in folk and Americana, pairing plainspoken lyrics with rock ‘n’ roll attitude and an unflinching willingness to address the world around him. In 2024, Welles began self-filming performances beneath power lines in the Arkansas woods, capturing the naked intensity of his songwriting on a standard smartphone camera. The performances sparked a grassroots phenomenon, with viral anthems including “War Isn’t Murder,” “The Poor,” “That Can’t Be Right,” and “United Health” attracting millions of followers and nearly one billion total views and streams.
Welles’s breakneck pace has continued: over two years, he released eight full-length albums and dozens of songs, while earning a remarkable four 2026 GRAMMY Award nominations. He was also nominated for “Artist of the Year” at the 2026 Americana Awards and received the association’s prestigious Spirit of Americana Award for Free Speech in 2025. He has collaborated with kindred spirits, including Joan Baez, Billy Strings, Mt. Joy, Margo Price and Sierra Ferrell, while his music has drawn praise from Vulture, Rolling Stone, NPR, Billboard and CBS News, which urged listeners wondering whether folk music is still relevant to “take a listen to Jesse Welles.”
His latest album, Masks Off, continues Welles’s tradition of confronting the moment with candor, humor and hope. Produced with Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Sam Barber), the album explores themes of collective unrest, abuse of power, I.C.E. raids and technopagans, while also revealing the introspective and personal side of his songwriting. It pairs these new reflections with studio versions of fan-favorite protest songs that have become staples of his live set. A road-tested performer who logged more than 280 shows in a year, Welles continues to share truths—whether confronting the brazenness of society’s “haves” or offering more intimate reflections on life. “I’m still living where I was living, I’m still doing what I was doing, and I’m still wearing the same jeans that I was two years ago,” he says. “I’m still putting out music as fast as I can write it. I haven’t changed.”
Watch Austin City Limits on PBS, stream online, or through the PBS App. Follow @acltv on Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter and TikTok for updates on livestreams, future tapings and episode schedules. Fans can also explore the ACLTV YouTube Channel for exclusive songs, full episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and full-length artist interviews. Learn more about Austin City Limits, its programming and its history at ACLTV.com.
About Austin City Limits:
A monument to music, Austin City Limits offers viewers unparalleled access to iconic artists in an intimate setting, providing a platform for inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 52nd season, the groundbreaking series is taped live before a concert audience at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas. The longest-running music series in television history, Austin City Limits has showcased legends and innovators across every genre of popular music for more than five decades and has earned countless accolades, including a Peabody Award, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame designation and the National Medal of Arts—the only television series ever to receive the honor.