FARM AID!!!!!!!!

[Deeps]

Driving to Chicago after tonight's show.

Can't wait to be a part of my first Farm Aid.

See you there TimmyB.

Deeps

[TimmyB]

Hey Deeps,

We are staying at the

Holiday Inn

Countryside, Il 60525

708-354-4200

The rooms will be under John Keast, so if you don't have a place yet maybe we will see you there?

If not I'm in SEC 104 ROW P SEATS 9-10 with Laurie as Rachael has a big math test Monday morning.

Tim

[TimmyB]

From www.rollingstone.com

Farm Aid Turns Twenty

Nelson and Mellencamp look back at two decades of activism

Twenty years ago, Bob Dylan paused during his Live Aid performance at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium and made a casual suggestion: Maybe "a little bit" of the money raised for African famine relief could go to struggling American family farmers. At least one of the millions of people watching took Dylan's words to heart. "I started asking people about the farm problems," says Willie Nelson, who grew up in the farming community of Abbott, Texas. "And we decided to do a Farm Aid. We thought that one concert would be all that was necessary."

Instead, Nelson and co-founders John Mellencamp and Neil Young will celebrate twenty years of Farm Aid on September 18th with a concert in Tinley Park, Illinois, with Los Lonely Boys, Wilco, Emmylou Harris, John Mayer and Buddy Guy. As both an annual fund-raising show and a year-round charitable organization, Farm Aid has spent the past two decades fighting for family farmers in the face of government foreclosures, corporate megafarms and public indifference. "There was a time when we couldn't even get people to understand what we were doing," says Mellencamp. "We'd say, 'This is our fifth Farm Aid,' and they're going, 'You're still doing that?'"

Farm Aid has never had trouble recruiting musicians, though. In addition to Young, Nelson and Mellencamp, the first show, on September 22nd, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, included John Fogerty's first solo performance and sets by Van Halen, Johnny Cash and Lou Reed. "We had just played Live Aid not long before that, and I always thought that Farm Aid was a much better show," says Tom Petty, whose Heartbreakers backed Bob Dylan that year. Iggy Pop and Guns n' Roses played in 1990. Numerous artists, including Steve Earle, Dave Matthews Band and Emmylou Harris, have become Farm Aid regulars.

Matthews, in particular, showed so much passion for the cause that Nelson -- who is president of Farm Aid -- invited him to join Mellencamp and Young on the organization's board of directors. "Farmers are the foundation of this country," says Matthews, who runs an organic farm in Scottsville, Virginia. "They're unsung heroes of the world, and I'm happy to sing on their behalf."

Farm Aid has given away around $17 million over the years, mostly via small grants to community groups whose work benefits family farms. It also steps in during emergencies: On September 1st, Farm Aid donated $30,000 to farmers whose properties were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. "We know how to put a little bit of money where it means a lot," says Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar. "It's not always the big money that turns something around." Roger Allison and Rhonda Perry, who run a cattle farm in Armstrong, Missouri, received a $10,000 grant in 1985 to start an emergency food program for hungry farmers. "In the Eighties, farmers were feeling hopeless and marginalized," says Allison. "But Farm Aid was hope."

Farm Aid's fight hasn't been easy -- there are 400,000 fewer family farms today than there were in 1985. But skyrocketing consumer demand for organic food is a major opportunity for small farmers, and a growing market for biodiesel -- fuel made from vegetable oils -- offers a new revenue stream. "I was starting to think we were fighting a noble but useless battle until I heard about biodiesel," says Nelson, who uses the fuel for his tour bus.

Still, the musicians don't expect the struggle to end any time soon. "I'll be part of Farm Aid for as long as it's necessary," says Matthews. "And the way it seems right now, it's going to be necessary for a long time."

BRIAN HIATT

(Posted Sep 16, 2005)

[Deeps]

Farm Aid was an awesome experience.

A very positive vibe.

A couple of times in the day I was really filled to the brim with the joy that only being around 10s of thousands of people gathering for a good cause could bring about.

I'd never scene Neil Young, Widespread Panic, Wilco, or Emmy Lou Harris.

Panic made me freak out. Truly harmonius band. They put out great energy and have chops, but it just never seemed wanky. Dave Matthews came out and did a song with them....I'm sure TimmyB could tell you the name, not really important in this context, anyway....Dave read the lyrics off a sheet of paper as he delivered a solid performance. Fun to see people unabashedly -wing it- despite their careers being as large as they are.

Willy Nelson played with his sons and even got his older boy to play an orignal. Kid's voice was strong, and wavered as anyone's would being in front of around the 10,000 who remained. Cool moment. They were all introduced as Willie Nelson and Family and the stage definitely took on that living room carefree song playing feel.

Neil Young. 17 people on stage. 9 piece all black choir, pedal steel, drums, guitar, keys, bass, additional vox and percussion singing Southern Man was particularily moving.

I had driven through the south of Chicago in an a botched attempt to find the highway after Sara and I were returning from a spontaneous Burning Spear experience at the House of Blues the Saturday night before the concert for the farmers. It's a strange thing for a white boy from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada to see people living like that. Canada does not have a struggling situation that divides along race and wealth on such a scale. I wondered what happened in America, I was angered, I was sad, scared, confused, foreign. These types of feelings visited me periodicly in the day as I watched the performers @ Farm Aid.

The community on the stage before me when Neil played that tune compared to the one I saw the night before was much needed and showed me what music can do to teach people and how long a song can be useful in change.

The highlight of Emmy Lou was seeing my fiancé (a great music fan) watch Emmy Lou sing. Sara stood when few were and I just tried not to interrupt. Emmy Lou's voice was great to be in the prescence of.

Wilco was awesome. A lot more positive than I thought it might be. A very activisty frontman in Jeff Tweedy. Really got the crowd involved duringa sing along in Jesus Etc.

He expressed that working together and true community action was an awesome force that is available at our collective whim and always results in positive forward momentum. He used the tune to manifest his message shortly after saying it.

All became involved like they hadn't before with the words

Our love

Our love

Our love is all we have

Our love

Our love is all of God's money

Everyone is a burning sun

He proceeded to deliver a great show and precluded a tune with a call out of the Chicago Tribune for their critical article of Farm Aid's allocation of money to Farmers.

"Chicago Tribune. I don't care if you never write a good thing about us again......you fucked up."

I think the Tribune has since pulled the article as all I can find is links to rebuttles from Neil and Jeff Tweedy to the article.

I guess those were my highlights.

Deeps

PS A LOT of American people LOVE Kenny Chesney, not just cougars, young men and women and people of all ages.

[Kaidy Mae]

Thanks for the review Deeps. You and Sara certainly are two adventurous kids. I couldn't believe my ears (for the 3rd time that night) when you guys came outside and announced you were off to Farm Aid. "WTF? Now?!?" Well done.

Glad you enjoyed Wilco. Tweedy gives me the shivers (in that un-fuckin-believably-good kind of way). Jesus, etc. is one of my favourites. Wow! I wish I could've witnessed that.

Oh, and GO NEIL! I love that man. I hope to see him again one day. I've never been disappointed.