Back At SPAC: Farm Aid 2024 Raises Awareness & Funds For Family Farmers With 39th Annual All-Star Concert
Bryan Lasky shares his in-person account and photos from this year’s event organized by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price.
By Bryan Lasky Sep 23, 2024 • 10:44 am PDT
Farm Aid took place for the 39th year, once again shining a spotlight on American farmers. This year’s event, held at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in Saratoga Springs, New York, highlighted the work of New York farmers.
In 2013, the last time Farm Aid was held at SPAC Pete Seeger was the big surprise of the day when he helped close the show out. This year Del McCoury was the biggest surprise of the day.
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The day started as it does every year with a press conference with founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp along with board members Dave Matthews and Margo Price.
A group of farmers joined them and spoke about not only needing money but needing equity and acknowledgment of what has happened to farmers and more importantly non-white farmers throughout the history of the country. It was said by the farmers that while yes we’re all in this together, some have faced far more hurdles to get going than others.
Of course music is a highlight of the day, but the focus is the farmers. There were plenty of interactive exhibits for attendees to learn about various aspects of farming in the Homegrown Village. There were also a few panels throughout the day that people could attend. The food options were fantastic throughout the grounds, with plenty of local vendors setting up shop giving fans more options than the usual fare at SPAC.
The concert portion of the day started how it has for many years, with Kontiwennenha:Wi followed by the Wisdom Indian Dancers. Having Indigenous artists begin the day is a wonderful tradition to acknowledge that the land we are celebrating isn’t ours. From there we got two quick sets from Jesse Welles and Cassandra Lewis. Both were great and their 20 minutes each flew by.
Southern Avenue followed and put on the first jaw-dropping set of the day. Coming off opening the last leg of the Outlaw Festival tour and meeting Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, they showed the crowd their blues and soul mixture that brought everyone in their seats at that point of the day to their feet. They are a not to be missed band if they are coming through to your city.
Joy Oladokun, Charley Crockett, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats kept the energy from Southern Avenue through their sets. By the time Rateliff took the stage with his high octane no filler set, most of the seats inside the amphitheater were filled and the energy between the band and the crowd was high.
Lukas Nelson and the followed and while the energy was completely different, it was an amazing pairing to witness. The McCourys’ excellent playing mixed with Lukas’ voice was a fantastic collaboration. The surprise of the day was Del McCoury coming out for the last couple of songs of the set. McCoury’s appearance sent the crowd wild after he had been watching the set from the wings of the stage.
It was then time for Mavis Staples and what is there to say that hasn’t been said about her? It is thrilling to still see her on stage and performing at such a high level, conjuring the music spirits and getting the crowd to sing along with her. We are so lucky to still be able to see her perform at 85.
From Mavis, the show pivoted to Margo Price, whose slow-burn set was absolutely fantastic. She and the band jammed a bit more than some may have expected, but it was met with nothing but love. A terrific cover of Tom Petty‘s “Ways to Be Wicked” gave the band a chance to let loose. At the end of the set, Price went through the crowd handing out roses and high-fives to anyone she passed.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds followed and had the entire crowd on their feet the whole set. It was wild to watch the duo hold the attention of every single person in the room. Watching the two longtime friends and collaborators trading riffs and egging one another was a beautiful thing to witness after all these years and every smile in the audience could feel the love between the two.
They ran through five beloved Dave Matthews Band songs before bringing out Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson and Nathaniel Rateliff for a cover of “The Weight.”
John Mellencamp strode on stage and the crowd again was on their feet the whole performance. He may not have the best voice anymore, but he makes what he has left work for him. I always forget how great he is until I hear a batch of his songs in a row and realize he is one of the best songwriters to have ever done it.
Mellencamp stopped “Jack & Diane,” which he was performing solo when the audience messed up the singalong by skipping a verse and going right to the chorus. It was a moment that he couldn’t help but laugh about before making the audience fix their mistake and continuing the song. Looking around the audience during his set, folks were embracing and singing with him at the top of their lungs through the full eight-song set.
The penultimate performance of the night, as always, went to Neil Young, who debuted his band The Chrome Hearts (who will appear at The Capitol Theatre tonight and tomorrow). The group consists of Micah Nelson on guitar along with Promise Of The Real drummer Anthony LoGerfo and bassist Corey McCormick. Legendary keyboardist Spooner Oldham, who was not previously announced, was also part of The Chrome Hearts lineup. Seeing Neil with a band was a nice change for Farm Aid as he often plays a solo acoustic set.
The set started with a one-two shot of “From Hank to Hendrix” and “Harvest Moon,” sounding solid. Neil’s voice still astonishes after all of these years and Micah’s guitar work was stunning the whole set. After “Unknown Legend” Neil hopped on the piano for “Journey Through the Past” and “Love Earth.” “Heart of Gold” was followed by Neil strapping on an electric guitar for “Homegrown” and a wild “Powderfinger.” Neil squared off with Micah during the song, much to the crowd’s delight.
Farm Aid came to a close with none other than Willie Nelson & Family. Willie may not be at the top of his game at 91, but then again who would be expected to be, but dammit it’s Willie and he is still out there doing the damn thing and clearly caring about his songs and music enough to keep doing it. He’s a national treasure and we should cherish every moment we still get to witness him.
While Willie’s voice was rough at the start, it came around later in the set. The PA system cut out on the fourth song and while the band didn’t realize it right away the crowd got loud, hoping it would come back. When it did, the roar of approval was wild, with Willie, Lukas, and Micah all laughing about it. A great duet with Micah on “(If I Die When I’m High) Halfway to Heaven” followed.
Willie kept going, adding song after song despite the set pushing past 11 p.m. “Last Leaf,” a Tom Waits cover, was jaw-dropping. The whole show came to a close with almost every performer coming back on the stage for “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?/I’ll Fly Away” and “It’s Hard to be Humble.”
