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Thursday, October 09, 2025

Neil Young vs. Amazon: Neil Young To Withdraw Music from Amazon.com

Neil Young vs. Amazon
image via Rusted Moon

Neil Young has announced that he will withdraw his music catalog from Amazon Music.

Folks may recall back in 2022 when Neil Young had his music catalog removed from Spotify.

In a statement on Neil Young Archives, Neil Young announced that his music will soon no longer be available on the platform. In the message, published on October 8, 2025, he urged people to stop shopping at Amazon and its US supermarket chain Whole Foods: 
"FORGET AMAZON AND WHOLE FOODS. 
Stop buying from big corporations."
Instead, people should "buy local" and "buy direct." Consumers should support their community and visit local businesses. The goal is to "Take America Back" by doing the right thing and supporting local businesses.

Neil goes on to criticize big corporations for "selling out America" accusing corporations of crippling the US government, endangering people's incomes, undermining personal safety, and jeopardizing families' healthcare. 



Neil Young specifically mentions Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who supports the Trump administration. He argues that America is at the beginning of an "age of corporate control." Everyone must therefore give up something to save the country. Therefore, Neil Young concludes: 
"Soon, my music will no longer be available there."
Neil Young has had a long and tangled relationship with digital music vendors such as Amazon. Much of the struggle is detailed in the book "To Feel the Music" by Neil Young and Phil Baker.

More on Neil Young and Amazon Music @ Neil Young Speaks On Amazon Music HD

Also, see more on supporting local farmers market @ Forty Days and Forty Nights and Forty Years of Farm Aid.  Also, see video of Neil Young at Farm Aid Press Conference where he calls for a "conscience tax" on billionaires (@ link below).


"We need a "Conscience Tax" on billionaires"
Neil Young at 2025 Farm Aid Press Conference
(see video at bottom of @ link above)

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Saturday, September 27, 2025

Farm Aid 2025 Report: Forty Days and Forty Nights and Forty Years

Farm Aid Finale: Willie Nelson & All 
Minneapolis, Minnesota - Sept. 20, 2025 
photos by John Kwit & thrasher 
(Click photo to enlarge) 

Here is a special report from the intrepid and oh so dependable John Kwit, our Thrasher's Wheat Intergalactic Music Correspondent via Chicago. Or, as John likes to put it: "[Normally] Mild Mannered Reporter for a Daily Metropolitan Newspaper".

Forty Days and Forty Nights and Forty Years of Farm Aid

It appears to me that we are still engulfed in an extended period of trial and tribulation here in the USA.  Gone are the days of Peace and Love.  Folks on both sides of aisle aren’t talking to one another and when they do communicate they’d rather deliver a verbal tongue lashing via social media then sit down and hash things out civilly, eye to eye. The art of listening has faded away. 

Why, dare I ask, can’t we just get along?

Farm Aid 40 @ University of Minnesota

Which brings us to Farm Aid, a concert and a non-profit organization all rolled into one whose mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. From my seat in the audience, it appeared on the surface that everybody in the crowd, the stadium staff and the performers got along just fine at Farm Aid 40. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch on the 40th anniversary of the festival. A picture-perfect day in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

But there were some things simmering below the surface for me that I hope the passionate readers of Thrasher’s Wheat can answer.  Don’t worry, I’ll get to the actual concert review and Neil Young in a moment.

Willie Nelson Prepares to Take a Bow w/ Farm Aid Board

Days before the concert was due to take place at the stadium used by the University of Minnesota, service and maintenance workers from the Teamsters Union threatened to strike putting the show in jeopardy.  Thankfully everything was resolved so the concert went on as planned but it made me wonder many things.  First and foremost, how would the Farm Aid Board have framed a concert-ending strike by the union?  My guess is that the Farm Aid Board and organization are composed of many union loving members.  Before you cast tomatoes my way, please know that the person typing this story has 2 jobs, his spouse has 2 jobs, and we belong to 4 separate unions between us. In my opinion, unions are good for many, many things and not so good for others.

Farm Aid Board

Second question: Finances.  I’m not going to get into the “Where’s the Farm Aid money going?” rabbit hole.  The Chicago Tribune once did a story on that which rankled Neil Young to no end.  But I am curious about the quote from Farm Aid tied to a potential strike: “It is critical to understand that if Farm Aid 40 is forced to move or cancel, the financial impact could be devastating.  The expenses already incurred to bring this historic event to Minnesota may well threaten the survival of our organization after four decades of service to family farmers.”  

Neil Young

Math is not my strong suit and I’m not the CFO of a major bank. Does it not seem odd, though, that the cancellation of Farm Aid 40 could have spelled the death knell for the corporation?  Ticket purchases were non-refundable so somebody was keeping that money.  Do the performers participate free of charge?  Is the money being made on the sale of food and merchandise, of which Farm Aid only gets a cut, the major revenue stream for the organization which ultimately keeps it solvent?  Perhaps this precarious financial situation is tied to Neil Young’s plea and major point at the pre-show press conference [see embedded video below] that he only wants your money for Farm Aid.  He was pointing his finger, mostly, at the billionaire class and mega corporations who should, in his view, be paying a Conscience Tax to the organization. [See Neil  Young Archives | Times-Contrarian | "American Conscience Tax (ACT)"  ]



Third: Performer harmony.  Fellow Hoosier John Mellencamp gave some short, blunt remarks at the press conference which had him heaping praise on Willie Nelson by stating that “none of us would be here without Willie and that “we wouldn’t have raised a f***ing dime if it wasn’t for him.”  True. 



But seeing as though Willie is 92 years young, in a show of harmonious brotherhood and love of his fellow man, how could John not join in on Willie’s concert closing numbers which brought many of the performers out on stage for rousing renditions of Will the Circle Be Unbroken and I Saw the Light?  If I missed John in the background, I offer my sincere apologies, but I was informed by a respected individual with many Farm Aid concerts under their belt that John is rarely, if ever, seen at Willie’s group closing songs.

Lukas Nelson, Willie Nelson & Micah Nelson

Can we finally get into the actual music?  Yes.  I imagine that attending Farm Aid is much like what it was back in the 1950’s and 60’s when Dick Clark brought his Caravan of Stars on tour across the U.S.  You got a handful of songs by a great number of performers, just like Farm Aid. Just enough to wet your appetite and get you to go out and seek your favorite stars latest 45 single or long playing album.
Listing one’s favorite acts or songs at Farm Aid 40 is a hopelessly subjective endeavor.  But if you stuck around this long I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Waxahatchee, Steve Earle, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, the old Bob Dylan and the “newly crowned Bob Dylan” - Jesse Welles.  Jesse’s song Bugs immediately brought young Bob Dylan’s performance of Woody Guthrie’s Riding in My Car (Car, Car) to mind.

Jesse Welles

I hope you let me dwell a bit on Jesse.  He’s relatively new to the game with 3 albums under his belt, both self-released.  I bumped into him as he was taking part in a mid-day TV interview and I asked him afterwards if he was planning to come to Chicago.  He said yes, he had a couple of shows coming up in October.  As soon as I parted ways with him I looked up his concert schedule. One show in Toronto, Canada was listed before the two Windy City shows.  All were sold out.  By the time I’m typing this up, 47 additional shows around the entire world are now listed.  Almost all of them are sold out.  The kid has hit the Big Time!  And it’s well deserved as his guitar playing and singing were superb and his lyrics are clever, catchy and thought-provoking all at the same time.  You’re missing out if you don’t check him out live.


Steve Earle

Black Pumas’ Eric Burton

Trampled By Turtles

Margo Price

Billy Strings  

Sierra Ferrell & Lukas Nelson

Dave Matthews & Lukas Nelson 

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

God bless Bob Dylan for showing up and rocking the house.  He did so totally unannounced at Farm Aid 38 back in 2023.  This time, he gave fans 3 days’ notice that he’d be playing in his home State of Minnesota.  Not faulting Mr. Dylan, but if he could have possibly had his name on the bill from the get-go, perhaps the audience would have been even larger which would have meant more…well you know where I’m going.  I may not have recognized all of his songs in his set but does it matter?  No. It’s Bob Dylan for God’s sake. Be quiet and listen.  All Along the Watchtower (also covered earlier in the day) and a be-bop version of Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright stood out for me.

Bob Dylan

 
The 5 members of the Farm Aid Board: John Mellencamp, Margo Price, Dave Matthews, Neil Young and Willie Nelson put on fabulous performances.  I was concerned that John’s guitarist had to be helped off stage for what appeared to be a medical reason.  He originally performed standing, then had a chair brought out to sit on before being brought backstage. He came back to finish the show. Hopefully all is well.  His songs Longest Days and Rain on the Scarecrow brought a somber mood followed by a full battle attack mode.


John Mellencamp

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts? 

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts


Well, if Neil doesn’t get sued into oblivion for copyright infringement over the use of the Chrome Hearts name, hopefully we’ll see him and the band on tour again in 2026 when the weather warms up and the swallows come back to Capistrano.  The band members are a young force to be reckoned with.  Old timer Spooner Oldham is there for a reason, although his keyboard playing for the 3 shows I’ve recently seen were almost inaudible.  Song highlights for me from Neil’s 7 song set were Long Walk Home and Be the Rain.  He had his infamous pump organ at the back of the stage but I  don’t believe he actually used it. Someone will correct me if I’m wrong.  Time limits may have factored in.

Spooner Oldham

This was the year where I really noticed “The Growl.” Songs by Dylan, Mellencamp, Nelson & Young were not necessarily sung, but growled or spoken like a fine poem. A nod to the aging process which escapes no one. I’d rather hear them read the lyrics then not be up on stage at all.


All in all, an absolutely fantastic concert experience!  Will there be a Farm Aid 41?  Yes. Will there be a Farm Aid 50?  I don’t know, but I made a vow at this show with a nice fellow who graciously took me under his wing on his birthday and we promised to that be there together at Farm Aid 50 come hell or high water.  Happy Birthday Thrasher.  Thanks to you, Paul & Renee of the FarmAidians and everyone involved in pulling this great event together.

John Kwit 

 Willie Nelson & Friends

Thanks for the report John!  What a great day for a great cause.

Here are are a few more Farm Aid memories with our FarmAidians friends Paul & Renee & Crew.

FarmAidians On The Road Again



Having "A Word" w/ Steve Earle

Friends From Near & Far





Farm Aid Press Conference
(Neil Young @ ~27:30)

Nathaniel Rateliff Shout Out to FarmAidians 

Our FarmAidian Hosts Paul & Renee

w/ The FarmAidians 

w/ More Friends From Near & Far

w/ Reporter John K.

thrashers


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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

BENEFIT CONCERT: Harvest Moon w/ Neil Young, Beck + More - October 25th

Harvest Moon: A Gathering


The Harvest Moon benefit concert featuring Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Beck, and special guest Lana Del Rey will be on Saturday, October 25th at The Painted Turtle camp in Lake Hughes, CA. 

All proceeds benefit The Painted Turtle, a non-profit providing children living with serious medical conditions a traditional camp experience free of charge, and The Bridge School, which empowers children with extensive speech and physical disabilities to learn, connect, and thrive.

NYA Member Loyalty Pre-Sale:
NOW until Thursday, Sept 25 at 9:00 AM PST
(per Beck feed:  Use Code: HARVESTMOON25)

General Public On-Sale:
Opens Thursday, Sept 25 at 9:00 AM PST

You can get more info on the official website here

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Saturday, September 20, 2025

TODAY: Farm Aid 2025: Minneapolis, MN, Sat., Sept. 20

Farm Aid 40: Minneapolis - Sept 20 


Farm Aid #40 (2025) will be @  Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 20.

This year's lineup includes:   

Billy Strings, Waxahatchee, Kenny Chesney, Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Steve Earle, Trampled By Turtles, Jesse Welles, Madeleine Edwards, and Black Pumas’ Eric Burton, with more artists to be announced. 

Board members performing include: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp & Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds) & Margo Price.



More on 2023 Farm Aid concert @ About That Time We Went To Farm Aid and A Bob Dylan & The HeartBreakers Concert Broke Out ... 


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Wednesday, September 17, 2025

CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts @ Hollywood Bowl - September 15 | Lefsetz Letter

Neil Young & Chrome Hearts 
Hollywood Bowl - Sept. 15, 2025
Photo by Josh Martin | LiveforLiveMusic


Over the years, we've featured quite a few items from Bob Lefsetz and his Lefsetz Letter on Neil Young.

Why?

Simple. Because Bob Lefsetz "gets" Neil Young.

Here is a clip by Bob Lefsetz from Lefsetz Letter on Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts @ Hollywood Bowl on September 15:   (Thanks Mark from T.O. !)
“Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you”

Neil Young is beyond image.

He’s lived so long, played so long, that it’s just him, sans trappings. As for his contemporaries…

They feel that they’ve got to convince the audience, overwhelm them, prove that they’ve still got it, are as important as they once were, still as meaningful, you should be wowed just to be in their presence.

But you’re not.
It’s creepy. So many have had plastic surgery. Because that’s the image they want to project, of them in their heyday, youthful, meaningful. They’re in stage outfits. And the production! The hi-def screens and the lasers, they’ve got to have the latest technology, to rationalize the ticket price if nothing else. It’s a veritable assault. By time it’s over you should feel worn out, like you’ve had the experience of a lifetime. But it’s nowhere close. It’s just old people playing old songs.

And then there’s Neil Young.

He seemed to be having fun.

Let’s be clear, he doesn’t need the money. He made that Hipgnosis deal, never mind the cash he’s already got. As for losing that money to his ex-wife… She died and probably left it to his children, so that kind of equalizes the equation. In any event, he’s got a ton of bread.

But what are you gonna do with all that money? Do you need a plane? How many houses can you buy, never mind needing to manage them.

So at the end of the day, you’re a musician.

Let’s be clear, so many are not, especially of the younger generation. They’re two dimensional constructs made to front the work of behind the scenes writers and producers. Did you see who’s headlining Coachella? Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G? A big time concert promoter told me he was gonna retire because he was sick of presenting music he didn’t like. I give Paul Tollett credit for changing with the ages, forgetting the old acts that he used to hire to headline, but these acts? The attendees are not going so much to see them as to show off, shoot selfies of their outfits. There’s not much there. It’s showbiz, but more pre-Beatles than anything else.

So Neil Young shows up on stage in the clothing he wears off stage. This was a thing back when he broke through in 1970. But his contemporaries, they started showing up in tuxes at awards shows, wearing dignified clothing on stage. I can’t remember ever seeing Neil in a tux, he’s stayed true to himself when so many have not.

Full review @  Neil Young At The Hollywood Bowl  | Lefsetz Letter.

More concert reports @ “Love Earth Tour”: Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts Concert Dates (UPDATED CONTINUOUSLY). 


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Willie for a Nobel!
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John Lennon and Neil Young


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Turn Off Your TV & Have A Life


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Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)


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Bob and Neil

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So Who Really Was "The Godfather of Grunge"?


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So What Really Happened at Kent State?


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"Powderfinger"
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UNITED WE STAND/DIVIDED WE FALL


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They Started It and We'll Finish It...
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A battle raged on the open page...
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"It's all illusion anyway."

Propaganda = Mind Control
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"Symbols Rule the World, not Words or Laws."
... and symbolism will be their downfall...

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Even Though The Music Died 50+ Years Ago
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Open Up the "Tired Eyes" & Wake up!
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What's So Funny About
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Show Me A Sign

"Who is John Galt?"
To ask the question is to know the answer

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Words

(Between the lines of age)


And in the end, the love you take
Is equal to the love you make

~~ John & Paul

the zen of neil
the power of rust
the karma of the wheat

~Om-Shanti.

Namaste