A Look Back At Farm Aid 40

It was nearly midnight, and you’d think the crowd would be growing weary after 11 hours of music. But Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis was buzzing with excitement for the final act of the night. As the anticipation bubbled up then boiled over, we grew silent then burst into applause. The moment we’d all been waiting for was finally here: Willie Nelson was taking to the Farm Aid 40 stage.

Lest there was any question if the 92-year-old country crooner still had it, he immediately assuaged any concerns, totally captivating the audience as he and his band kicked off with his 1973 hit “Whiskey River.” We sang along as they forayed into favorites including “On The Road Again,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

But it was the Farm Aid founder’s cover of Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe” sung alongside his son Lukas that absolutely took our breath away. As Willie uttered the song’s opening lyrics — “Yes, I understand that every life must end,” I felt the warm tears that had been welling up in my eyes throughout his set start to pour down my cheeks. I looked around to see I wasn’t the only one. Across the crowd, the boisterous cheers had turned to happy tears as we realized we were part of a once-in-a-lifetime moment, witnessing an American icon lead a wholly American experience in the American heartland.

Willie wasn’t the only American legend whose musical talents moved the audience of some 37,000 people. Taking place on Saturday, September 20, the daylong affair also featured fellow Farm Aid board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and Margo Price as well as country stars like Kenny Chesney and Wynona Judd. Kicking off the festivities were the Wisdom Indian Dancers (representing the Winnebago, Iowa, Shawnee, Delaware, and Otoe-Missouria tribal nations), whose founder, Dennis Alley, befriended Willie back in the 1980s. Another highlight of the evening — especially for Minnesotans — was a five-song set from the reclusive Bob Dylan, who famously has had a complicated relationship with his home state.

In fact, it was the “Tangled Up in Blue” singer who inspired Willie to start Farm Aid. While performing at the 1985 Live Aid concert that raised more than $100 million for African famine relief, Dylan suggested that perhaps some of that money could support struggling American farmers. That September, the first-ever Farm Aid concert took place in Champaign, Illinois, and featured the likes of Dylan, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, and Tom Petty. The 12-hour affair brought in $7 million.

 What was intended to be a one-time event turned into a beloved annual tradition. Since its inception, Farm Aid has raised more than $85 million to support family farmers through policy advocacy, grantmaking, a crisis hotline, and more. The festival’s 40th anniversary comes at a time when farmers are facing some of the worst economic and environmental pressures in decades — akin to the crisis of the 1980s that sparked the concept in the first place.

Standing among the tens of thousands of people who had opted to spend a sunny Saturday in September soaking in the music and supporting a good cause, I was reminded of the festival’s foremost intention: to unify people. That feeling of camaraderie and community was apparent throughout the day — especially at the very end of the show, when many of the festival’s musicians joined Willie and family on stage to sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Perhaps Dave Matthews put it best during his early evening set alongside guitarist Tim Reynolds, when he looked out into the crowd and remarked: “Don’t believe it when they tell you we ain’t in it together.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: (All images) courtesy © Brian Bruner