Before Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews took the stage for the 24th Farm Aid in St. Louis, they were in the mood to talk about why they were really in Missouri—to help educate the nation about the family farmer.
“I like good food,” said Neil Young. “(And) people need to check out where the food’s from when they go to the market—if you go to Safeway, if you go to Whole Foods, or wherever you go—take a look and try to find food that’s grown locally, and try to find food that’s sustainable—the methods. And also, if you want the best, try to find organic food. You can’t go wrong supporting family farmers who grow organic food. Really, we’ve been saying this for years, and we’re still saying it. And we’re too big to fail”
Organic was a word used a lot throughout the day, both at the artists’ press conference and during the concert.
“There is this hope that’s happening right here,” Dave Matthews explained, appearing as if he just woke up, “this awareness that’s growing. Just ten years ago, there wasn’t this organic (movement)…there wasn’t this web inside all of us that knows about the quality of food we’re eating. We need to spread that.”
The slow organic movement has been just that—slow. But, for this quartet of artists, there is no mention of defeat from their mouths. They’re still standing tall, still able to communicate statistics and stories (did you realize that the average age of the American farmer is over 60?), and still proud of what they created—Farm Aid.
And this year’s Farm Aid concert was a slow burner—in a good way. Outside of Nelson, Young, Mellencamp, and Matthews, music fans were also treated to a few other big names like Gretchen Wilson, Wilco, and Jason Mraz.
Wilson, who pretty much assumed that she was singing to a crowd of rednecks (it’s not true, Gretchen!), brought a good amount of energy to her pop country fans with songs like “Here for the Party” and her set-closing “Redneck Woman.” Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy must have been listening nearby, as he mentioned during their set that they were “here for the party as well,” while also wanting to know if anyone in the crowd wasn’t a redneck, which got a few laughs.
Tweedy, who was raised in nearby Belleville, Illinois, and his band mates were in a playful mood as they closed their set with “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Casino Queen,” and “Hoodoo Voodoo,” the latter featuring a guitar dual between Nels Cline and Pat Sansone. It might not have got the crowd going like Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” or Dave Matthews’ “Dancing Nancies,” but it was fun and goofy. And sometimes Farm Aid, with all the callouts during the day to raise more money, needs to be fun and goofy.
If you’ve been to a Farm Aid concert, you know the drill with the last three acts: Mellencamp, then Neil, then Willie. Mellencamp, who looks like he hasn’t aged since the “Jack and Diane” video, opened with “Pink Houses” complete with fist pumps and leg kicks. Shockingly, the man once known as Cougar did not give us “This is Our Country.” Were we not worthy or something, John? I mean, it was Farm Aid and all.
I digress.
Neil Young, who decided to rip his shirt instead of his electric guitar strings, performed a sweet, mostly acoustic set that featured three Comes a Time tunes. It was a county, front-porch-sing-a-long Neil, not a Crazy Horse Neil, and that seemed to lose some in the massive crowd. But still, we got some rare gems like “Hold Back the Tears” and “Sail Away,” and any Neil Young fan knows that’s probably a good day. Heck, any time Neil Young decides to show up in your town, that’s probably a good day.
In the end, though, it was Willie’s day, and his set was like watching a grand train gloriously derail, but still cheering for it anyway. He sort of strums when he wants to, sings when he wants to, talks to the crowd about smoking pot when he wants to…he basically does whatever the hell he wants. But the thing is, Willie looks happy as hell while he is doing all of this—like it’s the only thing he would want to be doing at that particular moment. While I wasn’t wearing a “God Bless Willie Nelson” hat, I do get the beauty: Farm Aid or not, Willie’s always going to have a good time.
And that’s how I’ll remember Farm Aid 2009—a great moment in time, no matter who you came to see, how much money you had in your pocket, or if you were simply there for the party. We were all smiling together, eating organic corn dogs, drinking $10 beers together…we were all doing something…together.
And that, my friends, is progress.
