Since 1985, Farm Aid has existed to help American farmers survive in the ever-changing environment where they often find themselves fighting against competitors around the world, Mother Nature, and even their own representatives.
When farms around the nation were being foreclosed on in the '80s, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young organized the first benefit concert in Champaign, Illinois, with the idea that music could raise both funds and awareness for struggling farmers.
The show drew more than 80,000 people and featured a lineup of big time artists who rallied around the cause, helping to spark a national conversation about the importance of family farming.
Over the decades, it has raised tens of millions of dollars to support programs that provide emergency assistance to farmers and help educate the merits of sustainable agriculture, the benefits of buying locally, and the need to protect rural communities from industrial consolidation and unfair practices.
As the non-profit states: "Farm Aid's mission is to cultivate a vibrant, just and resilient family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. With music as our inspiration and farmers as our heroes, we envision a transformed America in which family farmers and citizens are active partners in a thriving food system that ensures farmers a fair living, justly nourishes people and communities, protects and sustains natural resources, and secures a prosperous future for all."
This weekend the festival took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota and starred Eric Burton, Kenny Chesney, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Madeline Edwards, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, John Mellencamp, Lukas Nelson, Willie Nelson, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Billy Strings, Trampled by Turtles, Jesse Welles, Waxahatchee, Wynonna Judd, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts.
Here are some highlights.
Neil Young kicked off his set with a scorching version of "Big Crime"
For over 50 years, Neil Young has been at the forefront of protest singers and rallying cries directed at politicians who don't have the best interests of their constituents at heart.
Now with his new band, the Chrome Hearts, he has recently dropped a new song, "Big Crime" that directs his ire against the current administration.
Young began his set with the fiery tune and the farmers in the audience were already steaming because over this last year they have been hindered by tariffs that have affected the costs of their equipment and materials, as well as weirdly being cut off by funding that had been promised to them.
Farmers had to sue this summer to get those grants and last month a federal court sided with them, ordering the federal government to knock it off and pony up.
Meanwhile thousands of USDA government staffers were terminated as entire programs have been stripped down with no apparent cause or reason.
It's just the cause Neil was born to sing about in his own barbed wire way. And following it up with "Rockin in the Free World" only kicked the energy up that much higher in what was the last gig of his 32-date Love Earth Tour.
Bob Dylan's cover of Bo Diddley rules
When the Bard covers someone, everyone should pay attention. Saturday Bob Dylan, who knows a few things about how to turn a phrase, covered Bo Diddley's "I Can Tell" for the 24th time. It's a tune Johnny Thunders did 17 times and Van Morrison rocked 69 times.
Our records show Pink Floyd even covered it once in '66, and if ever there was a question to ask Roger Waters about if he ever did Setlist Insider, it would be: why did you never do it again?
Let's hope Dylan records it for his next project because he clearly has the 1962 deep cut down.
Margo Price covered Dylan w/ Billy Strings and Jesse Welles
Of the protest songs that mention farms, is there anything better than Dylan's "Maggie's Farm"?
The chestnut from Bringing It All Back Home is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and live debuted at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where it was his first song of his first ever all-electric set.
Dylan was just 23 when he released the song that was symbolic of his desire not to work for anyone who didn't respect him or treat him appropriately. That included critics who wanted him to stick to acoustic folk music.
Billy Strings joined Margo Price and others for the end of her set which turned the Dylan banger into a 7-minute jam.
John Mellencamp' "Small Town," documented by the governor of Minnesota
John Mellencamp began the day with Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson and Neil Young at the pre-show press conference inside Huntington Bank Stadium.
Later when it was time to rock he delivered a hits heavy set including Gov. Tim Walz' walk-up music, "Small Town," the former VP-candidate filmed and tweeted out himself.
While spoils might go to the victors, one would still think Gov Walz could score some better seats. Maybe next year.
Flashback to the first Farm Aid in 1985: The supergroup we needed
One of the wildest series of images from the back stage of a rock fest was when Deborah Feingold snapped these photos of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Randy Newman outside one of the trailers of the first Farm Aid in Champagne, Illinois.
When that photo was taken, Petty was touring the recently released Southern Accents album that gave us hits like "Spike" and "Don't Come Around Here No More."
The following year that tour would include the “True Confessions” leg with Bob Dylan that began in June '86. Two summers later Petty, Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and the incredible Roy Orbison would begin recording what would be the Traveling Wilburys.
But just imagine if Petty and Dylan dialed up Newman and Reed instead? That subtle, snarky darkness would have kick started emo decades before it finally dawned.
Dylan is gonna get some home cookin for the next few weeks then get back on the road in Europe, the UK and Ireland. Get tix on his website.
Rough & Rowdy Ways Euro & UK 2025
10/16 Veikkaus Arena, Helsinki, Finland
10/18 Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
10/21 Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
10/22 Barclays Arena, Hamburg, Germany
10/24 EmslandArena, Lingen, Germany
10/26-10/28 BOZAR, Brussels, Belgium
10/30-10/31 Palais des Congrès, Paris, France
11/3 LANXESS Arena, Cologne, Germany
11/4-11/5 AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
11/7 Brighton Centre, Brighton, UK
11/9-11/11 Building Society Arena, Swansea, Wales, UK
11/13 Building Society Arena, Coventry, UK
11/14 First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
11/16-11/17 SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
11/19-11/20 The Waterfront, Belfast, Northern Ireland
11/23-11/24 Gleneagle Arena, Killarney, Ireland
11/25 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
