Farm Aid 2024 Returns To SPAC: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews & More
Young is aboard for the benefit concert despite canceling the remainder of his 2024 tour with Crazy Horse.
By Scott Bernstein Jul 23, 2024 • 6:33 am PDT
Photo by Scott Streble
Farm Aid 2024 will take place at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, September 21. Board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds) and John Mellencamp top the lineup for the first installment of the annual benefit for family farmers to be held at the venue in Saratoga Springs, New York since 2013.
The inclusion of Neil Young is a bit of a surprise and wasn’t a given despite his status as a board member and participation in nearly every Farm Aid. Young recently canceled his 2024 tour dates with Crazy Horse due to illness. Willie Nelson is expected to perform at Farm Aid 2024 after missing a series of Outlaw Festival dates under doctor’s orders.
“This will be their 39th concert year with Farm Aid, and they absolutely are dedicated to this mission in a way that’s really unprecedented in the rest of the entertainment industry,” Farm Aid director of communications Jennifer Fahy told the Times-Union of Young and Nelson.
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Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson with The Travelin’ McCourys, Charley Crockett, Joy Oladokun, Southern Avenue, Cassandra Lewis and Jesse Welles round out the initial 2024 Farm Aid lineup. More artists are to be announced.
“We’re energized to be back in New York. The farmers here have always found ways to innovate and contribute to their communities, even as they deal with uncertainties, extreme weather and policies that favor corporations over people,” said Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson. “Farmers need us to stand with them as they work to grow our future.”
The location is an important one to highlight issues faced by family farmers. As per Farm Aid, New York State lost 3,000 of its 33,000 farms between 2017 and 2022. New York is the U.S.’ fifth largest dairy state and the industry has been hit hard by ever-increasing production and labor costs with consolidation.
Tickets for the one-day event go on sale this Friday, July 26 at 10 a.m. ET. Purchase[jb_festival_summary slug="farm-aid-2024"] Farm Aid 2024 tickets via LiveNation.com.
