It was twenty years ago when a band of artists came together to make a difference for farmers. The idealism that Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp brought to the table to create Farm Aid has managed to maintain a voice in a sea of politics. But on the twentieth anniversary of the benefit concert there loomed some disparaging news that would give Farm Aid a rough return.In the Saturday edition of the Chicago Tribune, staff reporter Jason George examined Farm Aid's financial books and pushed the case that the organization was not distributing the money to farming families as it was set up to do; that the expense of putting on the concert was part of the problem. This report did not sit well with the folks at Farm Aid. Three days after the concert Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot reported on the morning press conference launching Farm Aid back into action. In his article, Kot described Neil Young's venomous punch back at the Chicago Tribune article by quoting Young as saying, "The people at the Chicago Tribune should be held responsible for this piece of crap." Young then proceeded to rip a copy of the newspaper in half. This was definitely not the way organizers of Farm Aid wanted to start off their day at the Tweeter Center.
By two o'clock, roughly 33,000 of the sold-out crowd filled every corner of the venue. The afternoon went by swiftly as early acts of the day were given about 15 to 20 minutes to perform. Canadian singer/songwriter Kathleen Edwards was a stand out during her set as she promoted her latest album Back To Me. Edwards gave it her all in that brief period of time, her enthusiasm was vibrant on stage. Buddy Guy, a cornerstone of Chicago blues, was teamed up with John Mayer, who worked on Guy's upcoming album Bring 'Em In. Mayer kept within his role as Guy's second guitarist, shying away from the spotlight, and showcasing more of his blues roots. It was a sign of respect by Mayer to not let his image and popularity with the younger portion of the audience get in the way of Guy. Emmylou Harris was as gentle as the warm summer breeze that came through. As she did on her 1995 album Wrecking Ball, Harris provided a pleasant cover of Bob Dylan's "Every Grain Of Sand."
In their first local appearance since a four night stand at the Vic Theatre in May, Wilco gave a spirited performance that began with an extra kick by a rosing introduction from Illinois Senator Barack Obama. It was yet another special moment in a career that has risen to new heights in the past three years, commercially and artistically. Before the band concluded their set, singer Jeff Tweedy, who in recent times has grown more vocal at shows when speaking his mind, took sharp aim at the Chicago Tribune and the article it published on Farm Aid. Said Tweedy, "Chicago Tribune, you should be ashamed of yourself. I don't care if you write one nice word about us ever again. You fucked up." The roaring response from the crowd was a good enough sign that they were on the same page with Tweedy. Wilco soared off into the night with a pumping version of "The Late Greats."
Farm Aid cultivated a strong bill for their anniversary show, but some of their choices that seemed like sure bets on stage didn't exceed expectations. Jam band heroes like Widespread Panic and upstarts like Los Lonely Boys gave pristine performances that were bland on every level. Arlo Guthrie, son of folk troubadour Woody Guthrie, twiddled his time away with "Alice's Restaurant." The song was the endurance test of the day as it slowed the pace of the show down. Kenny Chesney and John Mellencamp are cut from the same cloth except one wears a cowboy hat. Chesney's appearance after Wilco brought the majority of the crowd to their feet for the first time all day. The country superstar didn't miss a beat, hitting every country cliche in the book and delivering the all-American feel good two step of the night.
But it was the big four of Farm Aid that took the show into it's final turn towards the finish line. Dave Matthews took to the stage with just his acoustic guitar and gave a solo performance. "When I was a little kid I wanted to be a farmer," joked Matthews to fight his nerves, "I don't know what went wrong." Regardless of his nervousness, obviously feeling naked without his band behind him, Matthews remained strong and encouraged by the crowd's positive response to every note he played. John Mellencamp put on his showman cape and gave the crowd a tasty selection of his classics. As one of the original organizers of Farm Aid, he took time out to reminisce about the creation of the benefit. The thought to attempt such a feat was described by Mellencamp as "naive."
Neil Young packed his anger towards the Chicago Tribune and must have put it into his set because he stole the show with an awe-inspiring performance. Opening with Fats Domino's "Walking To New Orleans" as a tribute to Hurricane Katrina victims, Young immediately set a tone to his set, a life affirming tone. Young also featured songs from Prairie Wind, a new album musically linked to Harvest (1972) and Harvest Moon (1992). The band supporting him--Ben Keith, Spooner Oldham, Rick Rosas, and Chad Cromwell--all had something to do with all three albums. Young set the stage on fire with a stunning and overpowering rendition of "Southern Man." With his seasoned black Les Paul, fondly called "Old Black," Young unleashed a fury of fuzz and distortion, each solo just more blistering than the last. "This Old Guitar," a new song, was very fitting as Young played a rather old guitar. "It's a song about a guitar," he said before playing. He then pointed to his acoustic guitar strapped across his shoulder. "It belonged to Hank Williams," said Young. The definitive heart of his set didn't come at the end but as the third song performed. Accompanied by a small gospel choir, Young sat behind the piano for another new song called "When God Made Me." His soft voice equalled by the piano notes transcended beyond just original music. If "Southern Man" was a snarl, then "When God Made Me" was a soul searching, introspective sigh. It was quite possibly the best sound all day to fill the air around Tinley Park.
By the time Willie Nelson arrived on stage for his headlining spot, much of the audience on the lawn cleared out to avoid the massive lines of traffic exiting the Tweeter Center. Having opened their gates at noon, Farm Aid rolled on without a bump in their schedule. It was a success on every aspect from the music to the money raised for the organization. The controversy stirred by the Chicago Tribune article didn't deter public support of the cause nor did it damage the image of Farm Aid.
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