Farm Aid returns for another year this September 22nd at the Xfinity Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The concert was initially organized by Neil Yong, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson in 1985 as a way to raise money to help out struggling American farmers who were in danger of going under due to mortgage debt. The concert has continued on a semi-annual basis ever since and this year’s version promises to be another impressive affair.
Joining Nelson, Mellencamp, and Young on this year’s edition of Farm Aid are the likes of Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Particle Kid, and other artists to be announced at a later date.
Neil Young has continued to be one of the most prolific artists in music, with the guitarist/singer releasing a new album earlier this year in the form of the soundtrack to his film Paradox. Additionally Young has said that he has multiple unreleased albums in his archive that he plans on releasing sometime in the near future. Last year Young teamed up with the Promise of the Real (featuring Willie Nelson’s son Lukas) for an awesome collaborative album in the form of The Visitor.
Willie Nelson will be busy this summer, as he is bringing back his touring festival, the Outlaw Music Festival, which started back in May and will continue until September, along with his annual 4th of July picnic. Young will be a part of many of the tour dates for the festival, which features a different lineup at each tour stop. Nelson will also be appearing with Alison Krauss on a series of tour dates this summer, a sign that after 60 years in the music business, Nelson shows no signs of slowing down.