Willie, Neil, Mellencamp, Matthews and the entire Farm Aid family support in song

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

In 1985, Farm Aid was founded by veteran artists Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to assist the increasing agriculture crisis in America. Though its impact over the past 34 years is immerserbale, the problems persist in 2019 with median farm income expected to drop by nearly $1,500, the risk of depression and suicide rising amongst farmers (with a 109% increase in the organization’s hotline calls in 2018 alone) and unpredictable weather factoring into lower crop yields.

But even amidst that immense amount of talent, local farmers and their families were really the stars of the show, whose courage and commitment to feeding the world always deserves the attention it earned at another exceptional Farm Aid.

Such staggering statistics were presented in between performances and conversations amongst performers and those on the front lines, though the marathon benefit concert that instantly sold out the massive Alpine Valley Music Theatre also provided a beacon of hope. One such ray of shining light came from American institution Willie Nelson, who’s now 86 and not in the best of health, but nonetheless kept everyone interested well after midnight as he offered empathy, encouragement and southern musical morsels such as “Whiskey River” and “Still Is Still Moving.”

Young + Promise Of The Real kept right on championing the “Working Man” (from their conceptual “The Monsanto Years” collection), while treating fans to the acoustically-framed “Heart Of Gold” and the incendiary “Rockin’ In The Free World.” Mellencamp and his tightly wound backers kept the ritual going with additional heartland anthems “Small Town,” “Rain On The Scarecrow” and “Pink Houses” (to name but a few of his many).

The next generation’s board member Dave Matthews, along with fellow DMB member Tim Reynolds, took to their acoustic guitars for collaborations, solos and a sample of the group’s newest album “Come Tomorrow,” culminating in the college rock classic “Ants Marching.” Guitar slinger Bonnie Raitt and her backers were superb as they stormed through the likes of “Something To Talk About” and a solo acoustic version of Skip James’ “Devil Got My Woman” (dedicated to blues great Stevie Ray Vaughan, who lost his life behind this very venue in a helicopter crash).

Beyond that headliner-stacked evening, Farm Aid was treated to a lengthy daytime list of both burgeoning and traditional performers that included Luke Combs, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Yola, Tanya Tucker, Jamestown Revival, Particle Kid, Ian Mellencamp, the Wisdom Indian Dancers and the Ho-Chunk Thundercloud Singers. But even amidst that immense amount of talent, local farmers and their families were really the stars of the show, whose courage and commitment to feeding the world always deserves the attention it earned at another exceptional Farm Aid.

For additional information on Farm Aid, visit FarmAid.org.

For a list of upcoming concerts at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, visit LiveNation.com.