Farm Aid 2024. I was “one the road again” as Willie would sing. The years fly by and honestly my life seems a blur at times which is one of the reasons I shoot lots of photos, date things, and write stories down so I can remember when I actually did something. This time as in many times before I started planning my trip months in advance. Once the show date was leaked to long-time supporters I started working on my trip to re-visit the Saratoga Performing Arts Center aka the SPAC. I had been there in 2013 when it was sunny in the morning and raining in the afternoon. It was a great show then in a HUGE venue that really just sprawls into a park. The venue holds 21,000 or so and the crowd in the surrounding area of tents and buildings was estimated at 25,000 in chairs even watching screens outside the amphitheater. It is that kind of venue where people are coming from everywhere and everyone is smiling and kind.
So I spent a day or two with my daughter Alexandra and enjoyed some great food prepared by her bf Phil who is a great cook. We explored the city with the hours we had and just chilled in between. That was great fun as I never get to see my daughter enough. I am so proud of her in so many ways.
Soon my rental car was headed north to Saratoga Springs. This is a beautiful place in what I call a wooded park that just sprawls. I had a very nice parking lot to drive to behind the Bottling Plant building where the tour buses were all parked right in front of the main gate and artist entrance. I was there early to talk to happy people who told me all about their night before and other Farm Aid experiences. That is part of what I enjoy. Just being in the company of people you don’t know that love music and life the way you do.
In the photo above you can see the venue seating to the left and then the lawn behind the venue. This is the front of a field that held a couple of thousand more people to the right! The ramp goes to a balcony. There were 25,000 people estimated in attendance at this event.
So my mind wanders back to the last time I was here. It was about this time in 2013. I really don’t remember the venue looking exactly as it does today. The inside was similar and upgraded but the outside seemed so much larger. I do remember how great the 2013 show was and some of the details. I really enjoyed seeing Neil Young and when they brought out the legendary Pete Seeger. The founders of Farm Aid who are all wealthy successful artists looked like kids with him standing there. I took a photo of it and just smiled at the scene. Pete died a few months later. This was one of his last performances. The crowd sang the Woody Guthrie song along with them.
This land is your land, and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
And I saw above me that endless sky way
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
It was a moment. I remember it well.
Well after the press conference ended inside with the founders and the media the rest of us were allowed in. That was about 12:20 or so after we had waited an hour or two in a line. I thought the gates opened at 11:00 but I was thankful I was in the line early and not in traffic outside which would have been tough.
I went over to the seed swap to visit and scored a few seeds. I talked to the Patagonia people for a moment or two as they make some of my favorite clothes. I did score a 25% off coupon! Add that to my REI discount and I can almost justify buying something from them! Great products just so expensive…REI was there but they were talking mostly local stuff. I buy plenty from them so it was a breeze-by for me. I headed over to the VIP area to get my stuff and grab some really great food as well as some air conditioning. I was thankful for the food over there as I had tried a jalapeno corn dog in the “Homegrown” area for $12.95 and I was cured of high food prices. Beer was $20 a pint so I was going to stay hydrated on this day! H20 for me. Not to mention the rest room was almost 1/4 mile from my seat up a hill through a crowd that was constantly moving. The entire place was occupied by nomads!
After eating and cooling off a bit in my black jeans and black shirt which was a bad choice on my part I headed down to my seat for the show. I had missed some of the introductory acts to visit the exhibits and get some food ahead of what I call the “stretch.” The part where there is very little set change time and the headliners just come on fast for one hour sets.
Charley Crockett on stage as I walked into my seating area. I shot this with my iPhone.
Nathaniel Rateliff on stage with his band… the Night Sweats. He plays the guitar and keyboards and handles the lead vocals. His band is very high energy and he is a longtime supporter of Farm Aid. His set is always great fun.
Margo Price has been on the board of Farm Aid for a while and she always rocks the stage.
More fuzzy iPhone photos. Honestly I was into the show and kept my camera in my pocket more than normal. I did shoot a few cell phone photos but they were a bit fuzzy which surprised me. Margo rocked her set and I loved the tambourine. I like it when she rocks up a song. She has a lot of energy.
Lukas came on the stage next with support for some gigs he had been playing to honor the legendary Del McCoury. The last time had seen Del he was crowding the microphone with the likes of John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame playing mandolin at the Warren Haynes Xmas Jam in Asheville, North Carolina some years ago.
Lukas is always great and I did miss his “Promise of the Real Band” backing him. They are awesome on stage and I have been lucky to see them many times. Most of those guys ended up backing Neil Young as “The Chrome Hearts” on this Farm Aid stage and a couple of shows this week in the northeast.
Well they need no introduction. Time and Dave have been to every Farm Aid I have attended and I well north of ten at this point. I have never been a rabid fan of Dave but…When he came on the stage for this set something happened and he started into his set and tears of joy just came from my eyes. I just had that moment where I was glad I was there supporting the cause and watching these two talents play as hard as they could. It was spectacular. What a set.
I should upload my camera photos as I have a few sharp ones but you get the point. I read an article after the show that said John and his band were the best of the night this year. Well, I have to say that is pretty spot on but that writer didn’t likely live though the years I did with seeing Willie in the 1970’s and beyond or growing up with Neil Young creating music. I had lots of moments including the second Neil hit the chords to start “Heart of Gold.” I yelled “Play it Neil.” There might have been some tears involved. His music is something special. All of these artists are something special. It is almost like they created music to save the family farms and the planet. I am 110% with them.
I have quite a few photos of this set on my camera and phone. It was great. You had to be there to experience the intensity. I am glad I was.
Ain’t that America for you and me?
Ain’t that America? Hey, somethin’ to see, baby
Ain’t that America? Oh, the home of the free
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Little pink houses, baby, for you and me
Ooh yeah
Ooh yeah
So I am not proud of these photos as they are blurred iPhone photos. I really just captured the moment on my phone and watched the whole show. Neil never stopped moving in the low light. He was awesome on stage. The “Chrome Hearts” were mostly Lukas Nelson’s band guys in the rhythm section, Willie’s son Micah, and the 81 year old legend Spooner Oldham who are all very good. This set was incredible. I love to hear Neil on stage. I will just leave it there. He played many of my favorite songs in this set and as I heard him tune down his guitar to drop D I started getting excited. He played “Harvest Moon.” I love that song and sometimes play it myself. I keep a guitar in that tuning to play his music. He tuned back and played “Heart of Gold” and even though I know it it is a hit there is something special about that song. Not to mention hearing it live. He played some cool stuff but I should mention his standard “Homegrown” which he had the audience singing and the entire village at Farm Aid is named after. It is even on the tote bags which yeah I have a few from the years…to buy local produce and save a bag.
Before I move on I want to relate a story from being in the airport on the way home from Farm Aid. I was sitting at the Delta Sky Club bar in LaGuardia with a Farm Aid 2024 shirt on and I felt a thump on my shoulder. A smiling guy was walking by and he said were you there? I said “Yes I was.” He said wasn’t it great?” How about that Neil Young set?” I gave him the thumbs up as he walked to the back. I guess he liked it too.
So this photo above was from my db meter on my phone. My Apple watch thumped me all day. “Too loud.” I had my earplugs in. Even with 20 db reduction I was pushing it. I was sitting next to a young lady from California named Celeste. I asked her several things as I am always curious about people not in a “nosey” way but just trying to be friendly. She told me she was the child of some Southern California hippies who played music all the time as she was growing up. She had seen Bob Dylan on tour in the last week or so and was a self-proclaimed “Music nerd.” I smiled and said “I like you.” She kept holding her ears and I asked when the music stopped if she had ear plugs as I was going to give her a pair if needed. She said she had ear plugs but was still covering her ears. So I say to those who go to a show. Protect your hearing. Even one concert can damage your hearing. I watch db levels and try to protect my hearing with good ear plugs. You can still hear the music just fine. In fact you will continue to hear it fine if you protect your ears. “Nuff said.
Willie Nelson. He is THE founder of Farm Aid and one of the first things he said was “39 years” we have been doing this. He is one of the great American musicians. His music is awesome and he is a hard working man. He has lived pretty well and I am sure one day they will carve his image in a mountain somewhere. Who does not love Willie Nelson. He is the “Last Leaf on the Tree.” So yourself a favor and watch this video.
Support your family farms. Buy local when you can. Think about the planet and the kids. See ya down the road.