Farm Aid 2011 in Kansas City, Kansas - TODAY

Neil Young
Photos © Paul Natkin/Wire Image
Neil Young's Farm Aid Setlist: 1.Comes a Time 2.Sugar Mountain 3.Long May You Run 4.Peaceful Valley Boulevard 5.Love and War 6.Heart of Gold



For all who missed it: rerun is streaming again here. (Thanks Liza!)

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Dave, Willie, John & Neil
Photos © Paul Natkin/Wire Image

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The Farm Aid 2011 Concert is today, Saturday, August 13, in Kansas City, Kansas.

Farm Aid 2011 will be webcast at FarmAid.org starting at 5pm Central. Also, Sirius XM radio on Willie's Roadhouse (channel 56) starting at 1pm Central.


Announced Lineup:

Between 1pm and 3
Willie Nelson welcomes everyone to Farm Aid!
Blackwood Quartet
John Trudell
Hearts of Darkness
Rebecca Pidgeon
Ray Price

Between 3 and 4
Robert Francis
Billy Joe Shaver

Between 4 and 6
Will Dailey & the Rivals
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Jakob Dylan

Between 6 and 7:15
Jamey Johnson
Jason Mraz

Between 7:15 and 11-ish
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
John Mellencamp
Neil Young
Willie Nelson

(Please be aware that it's definitely still subject to change!)

Got a report? Drop a comment below.

Also, see set lists on Sugar Mountain.

Got tweet? Got Neil? Tweet us at ThrashersWheat (thrasherswheat) on Twitter. Hash tag #neilyoung.

Also, use #farmaid hashtag for concert tweets for feed capture.

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Details on Farm Aid official site and Farm Aid Blog.

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Also, see Farm Aid Memories: 25 Years of Harvesting by Kevin "Union Man" Woodward.

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More on last year's Farm Aid 2010 Concert.

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Farm Aid This Weekend: A Look Back @ 2010 Concert

The Farm Aid 2011 Concert will be tomorrow in Kansas City, Kansas on August 13.

In the spirit of Farm Aid, here's a look back at last year's concert in Milwaukee, WI.




Photos by Jens Theo

From 25th Farm Aid intertwined music, food and family - USATODAY.com By Piet Levy:

Learning from Neil Young: Nearly all of the acts paid lip service to supporting family farms, but Young spent nearly half his time on stage talking up the cause. Ultimately, it was the lecturing that earned him a standing ovation. 'Maybe you don't realize what's really going on with factory farms in this country, how they are displacing family farms at an alarming rate,' Young said. 'Factory farms are the reason why we have food alerts. They are the reason why we have dying people and disease. Try to buy something from a family farm, something that's sustainably grown. You deserve the best. Your children deserve the best.'

Photo by Tammi Ruth Anderson Kral :: Paste


Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images North America) - Zimbio















Photo Gallery by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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‪There Comes A Time When Some Things Just Must Be SaidFarm Aid, 1995‬‏ - YouTube

‪"Comes A Time" by Neil Young at Farm Aid, 1995‬‏.

Here's a Comment of the Moment from last summer that came in the midst of Neil Young's announcement to help residents of the Gulf coast in the aftermath of the BP oil disaster.

A few folks took serious issue with Neil's partnership with Tyson Foods on the Gigs For The Gulf, given his stance against factory farming.

From Neil Young's Gulf Coast Benefit Concerts by tammyu:

So much has been so eloquently said I'll never come close—but really, people, before the current economic crisis there were children in this area going to bed hungry. Every night.

The long-term effects of cheap food consumption—simple carbohydrates are cheap—begin early and can be life-long ... even after eating habits have been changed. Ask any observant teacher who's been in front of a class—she can tell you which children don't eat right.

I mean, come on people, we tell pregnant women to supplement their B vitamin intake to foster normal fetal neurological development, then forget how important nutrition is to minds that have left the uterus for this environment? Why do we have school lunch programs? Nutrition matters. Quality matters. But that's an economic issue too ... and there are many people in this country who do not have the resources which afford opportunities to choose wisely.

I don't know what world you live in, but I grew up in this area. The summers of my childhood were spent on my maternal grandparent’s farm: my favorite way to spend the morning was riding with my grandfather to deliver his milk. I have churned butter—and I have family who STILL farm (personal and small). I also have family who raise chickens for Tyson. Hate if you must—but everyone who's struggled to make a decent living in that area knows getting a Tyson contract means you will actually get to live above the poverty level—in a state that's been in the 'Top Ten' of THAT list for ... well, as long as I can remember. But what about raising chickens for Tyson? For my extended family, it was a business decision—one made by a man who’d watched his own children languish on the meager sustenance he could provide by working a factory job AND farming the muck of red clay so abundant here ... but I digress ... Wanna criticize? Put on the hungry shoes. Better yet, put them on your child. No? Then do something to make a difference. And here's the twist--in SOMEONE ELSE'S life.

It gives you less time to point fingers at those who ARE doing something. And if you find you STILL have time to blast others who are trying to make a difference, then take legitimate action toward change—let Tyson's know directly you disapprove of their practices. Pursue legal action. (That means you'll have to do more than quote dated material tho' ...) Better yet, go to work in the areas where Tyson plants are, where Tyson farmers live, to change THEIR lives—and the lives of their children. I know those people and I guarantee you, those parents are like most—they want better things for their children. Those plants are there for a reason you know ... I understand that even more, now that I know about the Tyson-Farm Aid connection ....

Finally, I wonder which of you could bear the scrutiny you seem to think appropriate for others. Are you perfect? Are all your friends? Associates? Have you ever done something for reasons you didn't care to explain to the world, ever wished you could simply help without taking a tongue-lashing for it? Or have you, perchance, ever baked a cake—without eggs? Not the same as one with eggs—so do you forego the eggs because the lives of egg-producing chickens is less humane than that of chickens allowed to live free and produce eggs at will? Hmmm. No chickens in the wild? No chickens out there en masse, defending themselves against predators, foraging for food, building up those wings so they can soar to new heights, take their rightful place with the hawk, falcon, eagle? No ideal chicken state?

Don’t misunderstand me—I’m not ignoring issues—I have problems with hormones and antibiotics being introduced into the food chain, I don’t think any creature should be abused, and I don’t like the fact that what we routinely do to food in order to make mass quantities conveniently available to a disparate and distant populace often destroys nutritive value—I’m just being inflammatory …

Sorry. That really wasn't my point—my point is that it is, at times, necessary to do things in a particular way because that provides what is needed. Sure, it would be great if 1,000,000 pounds of fresh, organic protein were made available to the area—but Tyson stepped up. And while you, personally, might throw their chicken back at them, you don't have the right to take it from a hungry child to throw at them.

Live what you believe. Be who you want to be. Let others do the same. Help them every chance you get. That's how we make the world a better place.

Thank you tammyu! Enjoy the benefit concerts.

More on Neil Young's Gulf Coast Benefit Concerts.

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Listening to the 'Harvest' Studio Master with Neil Young

Neil Young & Gilad Tiefenbrun
Broken Arrow Ranch, California

Earlier this year, Neil Young blogged on high resolution audio technology and on PureTone, the Cloud-based audio system for his Lincvolt car.

Here's an update on Studio Master audio quality and cars, although we're not exactly sure how this all ties together as the blog refers to a Buick -- which we assume is LincVolt?

From Linn Blogs - Listening to the 'Harvest' Studio Master with Neil Young:

The Buick had a laptop in the trunk loaded with music, connected to an outboard 24-bit DAC, and an iPad in the front which allowed Neil Young to select easily between studio master, CD-quality and two variants of mp3 (bad and worse!). We rocked out to the studio masters, the music so loud that one of the door panels removed itself.

But whenever he selected a lower quality he would complain loudly and bitterly, turn down the volume, and curse that the music industry had allowed not just mp3, but even CD-quality to come into being and permeate the mass market. There was genuine sadness in his voice as he explained that Harvest Moon, his 1992 follow-up to the original, had been recorded at only 16-bit, the depth of emotion in the music lost forever during the process. (Sad really that the supposed breakthrough of the digital recording process has resulted in roughly fifteen years of recordings that can never be heard at anything better than CD quality.)

What struck me most was Neil Young's passion for the quality of music, not just his own, as we played through some other studio masters including Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. The man is on a mission to demonstrate to the key influencers in the music industry the difference that quality makes to the listener's emotional connection.

The blog goes on to discuss Studio Master as possibly being released as a proprietary format. We disagree and feel this should be an open format which does not require purchase of yet another playback device.

Full blog at Linn Blogs - Listening to the 'Harvest' Studio Master with Neil Young. (Thanks Paul M.!)

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Farm Aid Memories Over The Years

The Farm Aid 2011 Concert is this coming weekend in Kansas City, Kansas on August 13.

In the spirit of the event, we bring you Farm Aid Memories from one of our dear friends, Kevin "Union Man" Woodard. we've known "Union Man" for a long time now and go back in the years of seeing Neil Young concerts. Kevin aka "Union Man" has been to more Farm Aid concerts than just about any Neil fan that we know. This year will mark his ~19th Farm Aid concert -- a remarkable achievement.

Here are some of Kevin "Union Man"'s Farm Aid memories based on attending the concerts over the past 25 years including the first concert in 1985 in Illinois.

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I first started watching Farm Aid in 1985. I am a huge Neil Young fan. That is what first got my interest. It soon became a yearly ritual with my wife and I. We would donate fifty dollars and get a t shirt. I got the odd years she got the even years. We became very interested in the cause.

I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 1999 Farm Aid came to Virginia. I had to go! My brother, David went with me. My brother Chuck and his wife Terri also went. I attended this Farm Aid and caught "The Fever" ! I told myself that I would not ever miss one.


Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young

The next year it was back in Virginia, no problem! I had a great seat. I think it was fourth row on the aisle. I was approached by security early on and was told that they would give me a concert t-shirt to move to seats further in. I said I didn't want to and they said they weren't asking! My wife and I took the shirts and moved. A little while later Tipper Gore and her entourage came in and took our seats! That was pretty cool!

In 2001 came my first challenge. I had only flown once in my life. I was flying to Indianapolis alone! Then came 9-11. Made me a little more nervous about flying but I had to get to Farm Aid. I was fortunate to have met a friend through the Neil Young Internet community who lived near Indianapolis. He actually picked me up at the airport, took me to his home, kicked his kid out of his room and treated me like royalty all weekend. Thanks John!


Neil Young on "Southern Man" - 2005
Photo from FarmAid.org

Then came Pittsburgh. We drove to this one. My wife and several friends attended.

Some old friends of mine, Cope and Diane, attended and have gone to every one since with me! I think this might be the year that my friend Kathy Popple brought Chief Dennis to dinner and I got to meet him. One thing I remember about this show is purchasing my STOP FACTORY FARMS shirt directly from Roger Allison and the folks at Patchwork Family Farms before they were sold by Farm Aid. One of the highlights for me every year is stopping by to chat with Roger and eat some of his great food. This is usually the first thing I do when I arrive.


Neil & Willie - 2005, photo from FarmAid.org

In July of 2003 I broke my leg. Did this stop me? No way! My wife and I flew to Columbus, cast and crutches and all. Cope and Diane drove. A volunteer met me at the venue gate with a wheelchair and took me down to my seat.

The longest trip came next, Seattle! We decided to turn this into a vacation and stayed a few days longer than usual. My wife, Suella and Cope and Diane went along this time. Seattle was awesome! We had a little incident with parking downtown. A tow truck and a long walk in the rain was involved!


Neil Young - 2005
photo by John Gress

The 2005 show was particularly special for us because our oldest daughter, Rachel, then 15 years old went to Chicago with Suella and I for her first Farm Aid. She has not missed one since. Rachel is a vegetarian but she goes to see Roger with me and he gives her a roll! Cope and Diane were with us and Chuck and Terri were back on board also! They have not missed one since!

We drove to the Camden show. Cope and Diane and Rachel and I. Chuck and Terri went also. Rachel and I rode to NYC with Chuck and Terri. Cope and Diane drove separate. My brother David made this one with his wife and nine year old daughter. I got my picture taken with Al Sharpton in front of my hotel and Rachel got to get her picture taken with one of the guys from Guster, one of her favorite bands!


Neil Young at Farm Aid Press Conference
Neil Young - 2006
Photo by Kim Buchheit

Then came Mansfield. By far the best trip! After a great deal of consideration we decided to drive. Diane borrowed a conversion van and drove the whole way! Over 400 miles! Cope sat up front and David, Rachel, Rebecca (my other daughter) and I sat in back. We laughed and carried on the whole way. Stopped in New Haven for pizza and ended up turning a long drive into a very long drive!

The girls got their picture taken with Carson Daly and with Steve Earle. Then they convinced Steve Earle to get a pic with me and one with David. Fun memories. Neil performed " A Day In The Life " at this one. A performance that I will never forget.


Illustration by Fred Harper

Last year, Cope, Diane, Chuck, Terri, Rachel and I flew to St Louis. We attended
the Homegrown urban county fair and I got to meet Cornelia. What a pleasure!


Phish & Neil Young - "Down by the River"

Every year I look forward to seeing other regulars. There are several of us who met through the Neil Young Internet community that usually get together the night before and at the show. I have met several others such as Roger Allison and some farmers from Virginia, Debbie and Jackie Seale.

Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. via Farm Aid press page

Farm Aid 2003

The whole atmosphere at the concert appeals to me. I love being there. I have hardly mentioned the music. As you know it is always fantastic. I love hearing the guys talk about the issues etc. I would love to get a chance to attend the press conference one year.

Looks like my regular gang, Chuck, Terri, Cope, Diane and Rachel will be going to Wisconsin with me this year. In my wife's defense, we have been putting both girls through college and she elects to stay home to save the expense. I on the other hand don't have that choice. I HAVE to go! :-)


Neil Young at Press Conference
Photos by Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. 2008

I am 53 years old and work for a large grocery chain. One of the Farm Aid enemies sort of. As produce manager I do however continuously expand the offering of organic produce as well as purchase everything I can from local family farms. Try to make a difference in my own little way...

I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it! I could go on and on...

See you in Milwaukee and thanks for all you do,
Kevin "Union Man" Woodward

Thanks Kev "Union Man". You're the best.

No farmers, no food.



More on Farm Aid 2011 and Lineup.

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Streaming TODAY: MUSE 2011 (No Nukes) Concert - All-Star Benefit Supporting Disaster Relief In Japan And Non-Nuclear Groups

MUSE 2011 (No Nukes) Concert

Today, Sunday August 7, an all-star line-up will perform a benefit concert for Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA; showtime is 3PM. The event supports disaster relief efforts in Japan and organizations worldwide working to promote clean, safe energy and appropriate technologies toward a non-nuclear future.

The line-up includes Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Mraz, The Doobie Brothers, Tom Morello, John Hall, Kitaro, Jonathan Wilson, Sweet Honey in the Rock, plus special guests. The artists will perform together throughout the show, with Browne and Raitt anchoring the first set, and Crosby, Stills & Nash closing the show.

To bolster fundraising, MUSE will have live streaming and global online donations, and MobileCause for text2give donations and concert updates in the U.S. (both platforms are live now). Streaming of the MUSE event will begin at 2PM (PST) on August 7; viewers will get exclusive pre-show content and the main feed of the concert. To pre-register for a minimum $5 donation, log on to http://bit.ly/musebenefit. Mobile giving for MUSE is via MobileCause through its text2give service (U.S. only). People may donate by texting MUSE to 80888. A one-time $10 donation will be added to the user's mobile phone bill; complete terms can be found at www.igfn.org/t. Additionally, MUSE concert updates can be accessed by texting CONCERTNEWS to 27138.

Proceeds from the concert will be distributed to Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) to support Japan disaster relief efforts, and organizations worldwide working to promote safe, alternative, non-nuclear energy.

“The MUSE concert will not only be a great show, it will hopefully entice the public to become better informed of the tremendous dangers of nuclear power,” says Graham Nash. “We have to keep real and true information flowing so that people can act on it.”

“The disaster in Fukushima is not only a disaster for Japan. It is a global disaster. We come together now across cultural boundaries, political and generational boundaries, to call for changes in the way we use energy, and in the ways we conduct the search for solutions to the problems facing humanity,” says Jackson Browne. “We join with the people of Japan, and people everywhere who believe in a non-nuclear future.”

It was shortly after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan that the decision was made to coordinate a benefit. Shoreline Amphitheatre was chosen because of its close proximity to the Pacific Rim, Northern California’s history and deep association with Japan—and because nuclear reactors on the California coast store spent fuel rods in the same manner as at Fukushima. The concert date falls between the anniversaries of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945).

“We’re so lucky to have been able to bring back some of the original MUSE team to collaborate with some new and younger artists for MUSE 2, so that we can immediately help with the Japan relief effort and raise funds and awareness for the no nukes issue,” says Bonnie Raitt. “I'm excited to be a part of this important and truly collaborative effort. It’s going to be a very special, one of a kind event.”

Pat Simmons, of The Doobie Brothers, who performed at the original MUSE shows adds, "We are so proud to be reuniting with so many of our talented friends, who share our concern for the safety, and sustainable future of our fragile planet. Current events have brought us to a turning point in our human existence. It's time to consider alternatives to the present course of energy production that have been forced upon us by an aggressive corporate power structure. We join together to generate funds to help our Japanese friends, as they recover from the devastation that they have had to endure, due to man's careless use of nuclear energy, and nature's unpredictability. Through these efforts we also hope to raise public awareness of the challenges we are faced with, and the important responsibilities we share in moving us towards a safer, nuclear free future."

The concert stage will be powered by an integrated system of clean, alternative energy sources, using solar, biodiesel, and wind technologies. The energy-saving GRNLite LED lighting rig for the show has been donated by Bandit Lites, and Schubert Systems has donated the sound rig. In addition, Shoreline is the largest Green certified concert venue in the United States and is a founding member of the Green Music Group. One goal is that the concert will inspire musicians in other areas to organize shows that both employ and promote safe energy alternatives, and that raise funds for disaster relief efforts and for groups—local, regional, national, and international alike—advocating non-nuclear programs and initiatives.

Says John Hall (who, in addition to being a musician, was a U.S. Representative from New York, 2007-2011). “Will we, as a country, invest in clean, renewable sources of energy, or will we continue to use taxpayer dollars to indemnify and subsidize the dirty, deadly old technologies that are making our planet unlivable?”

"Even though the news cycle has moved on from the Fukushima disaster, this is another massive world energy disaster from which there will be long-term effects,” adds Jason Mraz. “I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing show that will not only help those in Japan, but that will also call attention to the urgent need to embrace safe, clean energy alternatives."

Japanese musician and multi-instrumentalist, Kitaro, joined the bill as a way to give thanks “for all of the support for Japan from the world, and to all of the Japanese, who are helping each other.” He adds, “It is time to consider the change to alternative clean energy instead of nuclear power.”

For more information, please visit: www.musiciansunited4safeenergy.com and www.nukefree.org


Crosby, Stills & Nash

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Neil Young News: For Japan: "Hey Hey, My My" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse LIVE:

Neil Young News: I Got Lost on the Human Highway: "The 1982 film Human Highway by Neil Young portrays the Earth's last day following a nuclear holocaust. Original movie posters referred to it as a 'nuclear comedy'

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