The Classic 10th anniversary Farm Aid set from Neil Young. The anniversary concert was held at the Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, KY with Neil Young returning as headliner, as he has done almost every year since Farm Aid began. Young performed most of the Cardinal Stadium concert with minimal backing, accompanied only by Willie Nelson on guitar and Mickey Raphael on harmonica. Crazy Horse joined him for the two-track encore however, providing a full scale rock-out on which to complete proceedings. The period prior to the concert had been a busy time for Neil Young. He and Crazy Horse had produced the sombre Sleeps With Angels in 1994, dedicated to Kurt Cobain, who had committed suicide earlier that year. This was followed in June 1995 by Young’s collaboration with Pearl Jam, Mirror Ball, and in 95 too, Young was also recording the instrumental soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch s black and white western Dead Man, which saw general release on 10th May 1996. Young played a set that included numbers from across the man s career, although with emphasis on his 1970s output.
Neil Young with Crazy Horse The Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, Oct 1st, 1995
Comes A Time , The Needle and The Damage, Mother Earth ,Four Strong Winds Helpless ,Heart Of Gold ,Sugar Mountain Country Home , Slip Away . Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young .
Neil Young’s name may have been on this years line up for this year’s Farm Aid, but until he walked onstage at the KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania it was impossible to know for sure if he’d even make it. NeilYoung hasn’t missed a single Farm Aid since the original event back in 1985 and he sits on the board, but this is also the same year he cancelled a festival appearance in Australia, Cancelled a tour of South America and Japan. He also put the Bridge School Benefit on hold, he hadn’t stepped foot on a stage the entire year.
But for Farm Aid 2017 he came roaring onto the stage like a feral beast finally let out of his cage and delivered a 45-minute set of unbelievable passion and energy. Backed by Promise of the Real (who he first met at Farm Aid in 2014 and has used as his primary backing band ever since), “Thanks for coming to Farm Aid,” he said in the only moment of the set where he paused long enough to speak.
He opened up with a blistering “Fuckin’ Up” that lead right into a hypnotic “Cortez The Killer” that stretched out to nearly eleven minutes. He didn’t even sing a note of it until four and a half minutes in as he built up a haunting intro on his battered guitar Old Black, grinned from ear to ear and reveled in the effortless interplay he’s developed with guitarists Lukas and Micah Nelson. Near the end, he seemed to remember he had a ticking clock and he quickly wrapped it up and called out for “Cinnamon Girl,” forcing the band to scramble for the right instruments as he pounded out the opening chords.
Young then strapped on a harmonica and acoustic guitar for singalong renditions of “Human Highway,” “Heart of Gold” and “Comes a Time,” before seeming to again call an audible, this time for “Like a Hurricane.”
It didn’t give Micah enough time to get behind the keyboard for the intro, but once the band locked in it almostfelt like Crazy Horse was on the stage too. By this point, the crowd was in a state of complete hysteria, which only got crazier when Young mouthed the words “Rockin’ In The Free World” to the band and they kicked into it Ramones-style, not pausing for even a split second after the abbreviated end to “Like a Hurricane.” They had a bit over four minutes on the clock, not giving them enough time to even get to the third verse, but Young milked what time he had for everything it was worth. Somehow or another, he managed to cram a three-hour Neil Young concert into 45 minutes that will surely go down as one of the greatest sets in Farm Aid history.
For more information about Farm Aid, visit: https://farmaid.orgFarm Aid’s performances are donated by the artists in order to raise funds and raise awareness for family farmers. They’ve raised their voices to help — what can you do?
Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
the setlist Fuckin’ Up , Cortez the Killer, Cinnamon Girl, Human Highway, Heart of Gold, Comes a Time , Like a Hurricane, Rockin’ in the Free World.
The annual Farm Aid took place yesterday at KeyBank Pavilion just outside of Pittsburgh as the organization’s board members—Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp all performed and welcomed a lineup that also included Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, The Avett Brothers and more. There were a number of the highlights on the night.
Johnson embodied the collaborative spirit of the event with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” with Sheryl Crow, Nathaniel Rateliff and Jamey Johnson sitting in. Lukas Nelson later emerged for “Breakdown” and The Avett Brothers helped Johnson close his set with “Mudfootball” and “Better Together.”
Elsewhere on the day, Nelson welcomed Margo Price with his band Promise of the Real for “Find Yourself.”Price later duetted with Sheryl Crow on “Strong Enough,” who also paid tribute to Gregg Allman with a cover of “Midnight Rider” featuring Lukas and Willie Nelson as well as Jack Johnson.
Jamey Johnson made waves with the country artist delivering covers of “Up on Cripple Creek” as well as Little Feat’s “Willin’” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” before The Avett Brothers came out for their classic brand of folk rock after a few collaborations earlier in the day.
Dave Matthews, along with acoustic partner Tim Reynolds, was the first of the four board members to play, rolling through a brief set highlighted by a new song “The Odds are Against Us.” Mellencamp then rolled through his hits before Young roared with Promise of the Real, playing hits like “Fuckin’ Up,” “Cortez the Killer,”“Cinnamon Girl” and “Heart of Gold,” among others.
As he always does, Willie Nelson closed down the evening, welcoming Jamey Johnson for the Merle Haggard collaboration “It’s All Going to Pot” before Sheryl Crow, Valerie June, Seth and Scott Avett emerged for “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Nelson then brought out son Lukas for one of the last songs of the night, an appropriate tribute to Texas with “Texas Flood.” The singalong “I Saw the Light” brought the evening to a close.
Neil Young and Promise of the Real perform “Fuckin’ Up” at Farm Aid 2017 at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, on September 16.
Recorded live at the Superdome in New Orleans for Farm Aid 7 in September of 1994, this is classic grunge-era Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Though the set list consists of only 5 tunes, the show’s running time is nearly an hour as Neil and the band give epic performances of all-time favorites like “Down By The River”, and Dylan’s “AllAlong The Watchtower”, as well as newer arrivals like “Country Home” (from 1990’s Ragged Glory) and “Change Your Mind” (from 1994’s Sleeps With Angels). An essential Neil live set available now in unprecedented sound quality.LP and coloured vinyl.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse perform “Down By the River” live at the Farm Aid concert in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 18th, 1994. Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and JohnMellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform a cover of the Animals classic track “Don’t Bring Me Down” at Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985.
A performance from the first Farm Aid benefit concert. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp founded Farm Aid and serve on the board of directors. The three agreed that family farmers were in dire need of assistance and decided to plan a concert for America. The show was put together in six weeks and was held on September 22nd, 1985 in Champaign, Illinois before a crowd of 80,000 people. It raised over $9 million for America’s family farmers. Performers included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and many more. It would have been very difficult for Bob Dylan to decline an invitation to perform at the inaugural Farm Aid concert in Champagne, Illinois on September 22nd, 1985. The entire event was inspired by his onstage comments at Live Aid earlier that year: “I hope that some of the money . . . maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe . . . one or two million, maybe . . . and use it it, say to pay the mortgages on some of the farms.”
it inspired Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson to come together and form Farm Aid. In just two months they assembled an incredible lineup that included the Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Billy Joel, Randy Newman, Carole King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Eddie Van Halen with SammyHagar and many others.
Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s Board of Directors in 2001 to help further Farm Aid’s mission of keeping family farmers on their land.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform “Straight Into Darkness” at Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois on September 22nd, 1985. Bob Dylan had been off the road for four years at this point. He didn’t have a backing band, so Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers agreed to take on the task. Their six-song set was heavy on material from Dylan’s new albums, But here we feature the track without Dylan who joined the band later in the set. Just a few months later, Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers kicked off a triumphant world tour.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform “Refugee” at Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois on September 22nd, 1985.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Setlist:
Bye Bye Johnny
(Chuck Berry cover)
Don’t Bring Me Down
(The Animals cover)
Straight Into Darkness
Refugee
Shake (with Bob Dylan)
I’ll Remember You (with Bob Dylan)
(Bob Dylan cover)
Trust Yourself (with Bob Dylan)
(Bob Dylan cover)
Maggie’s Farm (with Bob Dylan)
(Bob Dylan cover)
When John Mellencamp’s band came onstage in black-tie outfits and launched into 2014’s “Lawless Times,” it briefly seemed like this might not be your typical Mellencamp hits revue. But then “Small Town” came next and the show quickly became a 1980s sing-along with “Paper in Fire,” “Check It Out,” “Authority Song” and, of course, “Pink Houses.” “Rain on the Scarecrow” began with a haunting violin/accordion intro. This song has probably been done at every Farm Aid since the very first one, but it never loses its power. It’s basically the benefit’s theme song, and sadly, it reminds all too relevant.
John Mellencamp performs his second song at Farm Aid 2016 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on September 17th. “Small Town”
Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. DaveMatthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
The crowd at this year’s Farm Aid was heavy on classic-rock and country fans, and it seemed like a decent chunk of them weren’t familiar with Alabama Shakes when the band first took the stage. But most anyone that watches Brittany Howard and Co. perform for more than a minute becomes an instant convert. Howard worked the stage like a woman possessed, tearing through songs from both Alabama Shakes albums with an avalanche of passion. By the midpoint of the set, people were dancing in the aisles and screaming for more.
Alabama Shakes performs their first song at Farm Aid 2016 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on September 17th.
Neil Young and the Promise of the Real performs their seventh song at Farm Aid 2016 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on September 17th.
“There’s a revolution starting!” Neil Young told the crowd early on in his set at the 31st annual Farm Aid. “It’s called eating good food that your neighbors made for you. … Let the earth bring us all together, back to the roots. Eat good food. You don’t need the drugs anymore. It took us a long time to get this far. We have a long way to go. But with people like you, we’re going to make it!”
Neil Young + Promise of the Real performs their second song at Farm Aid 2016 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, on September 17th. Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. DaveMatthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
The packed bill featured a mixture of young acts (Insects vs. Robots, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats), country stars (Jamey Johnson, Margo Price) and, as always, the four members of the Farm Aid board (Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson.) It was a lot to cram into a single day,
Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. DaveMatthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
Neil Young is the one Farm Aid board member that always delivers an unpredictable set. Last year he tested the patience of the audience by playing unfamiliar new material like “Seed Justice” and “A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop.” (He also did “Alabama” for the first time since 1977.) In 2013, his set was mainly covers. This time around, he opened with “Heart of Gold” and largely stuck to songs everyone knew, including “Harvest Moon” and “Out on the Weekend.” He first played with Lukas and Micah Nelson at Farm Aid in 2014 and they’ve been his band ever since. Papa Willie came out for a duet of “Are There Any More Real Cowboys?” before Neil strapped on Old Black and led the band through ferocious renditions of “Powderfinger” and “Rockin’ in theFree World,” complete with three false endings. It was a mere tiny slice of the amazing shows they’ve been playing during the past couple of years. If they come anywhere near you, check them out. With the very large exception of Crazy Horse, this is one of the best bands he’s ever worked with.
Neil Young performs “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” live at the Farm Aid concert in Mansfield,Massachusetts on September 20, 2008.
“Just as rock & roll is loud and proud, so is Farm Aid. Farm Aid’s greatest accomplishment, I believe, is in the spirit. It’s the fact that we represent the spirit of the good fight, to keep something good happening. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger….” Neil Young
Farm Aid celebrates it’s 30-year anniversary this year, and they have had a lot of great music through the years. Today we’ve picked a very fine set from Neil Young in 2008. Enjoy!
1. Love And Only Love
2. Everybody knows this is nowhere
3. Powderfinger
4. Mother Earth
5. Unknown Legend
6. Old Man
7. Get Back To The Country
8. A Day In The Life
Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and JohnMellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
John Mellencamp performs “Pink Houses” at the Farm Aid concert in Raleigh, NC on September 13, 2014.
Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.
For more information about Farm Aid, visit: http://farmaid.org
Farm Aid’s performances are donated by the artists in order to raise funds and raise awareness for family farmers. They’ve raised their voices to help
The Fat Angel Sings 