BURGETTSTOWN, Penn. (Farm Aid) - In order to produce the 15th edition of Farm Aid on Saturday (Sept. 21) in Burgettstown, Penn., its backers found themselves sleeping with the enemy.
For a group of artists, activists, and family farmers who professed to be anti-corporation, they were surrounded by billboards promoting the goods of major conglomerates. Even the concert venue where it was held has a name that's bought and paid for, Post-Gazette Pavilion.
Still, after a press conference and nine hours of music, six of which were broadcast on Country Music Television, the message was clear -? the government won't help, so the family farmers' survival is linked with informed consumers who purchase organic, not factory-produced, products.
"Attention shoppers! Buy with a conscious and save the family farm!," shouted Neil Young at one point during his 40-minute set. With that in mind, it's a shame that the paying fans didn't have more of an opportunity to eat the wide array of delicious organic goods that were provided to the media.
The lines between rock and country music blurred throughout the event. Lee Ann Womack offered crafted pop with a twang, while the Drive-by Truckers, a major highlight, are descendents of southern rock with a little grunge attitude added. Womack and Toby Keith performed despite headlining their own gigs later that evening.
Naturally, collaborations took place throughout the event, with headliner and show organizer Willie Nelson adding his signature guitar playing during the sets by Keith and Young. Kid Rock was joined by Allison Moorer, and Gillian Welch traded vocals with John Mellencamp on "Pink Houses" and with Nelson during a two-song encore. Even Nelson's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, performed alongside Young for several numbers.
Keith sang about kicking ass - "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)" -- during an acoustic set, which was soon followed by self-proclaimed bad ass, Kid Rock, who wound together covers of Bob Seger, the Allman Brothers, and the theme to Dukes of Hazard alongside his hits.
Simply standing onstage was enough for Dave Matthews' adoring minions, but he treated us to a splendid acoustic set that ended on a cautious note as he suddenly stopped after the line "no reason to get excited" from "All Along the Watchtower."
Last year, Mellencamp looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but in front of thousands of cheering fans at a Farm Aid concert. This time, he and his eight-piece band played a torrid set that showed any doubters that this older rock and roller can deliver the goods.
Young, meanwhile, mixed numbers on acoustic guitar, pump organ, and piano ("Heart of Gold," "Mother Earth," and "After the Gold Rush") with speeches to remind the sold-out crowd that this day wasn't all about good times.
Many of the day's performers, as well as onstage emcee Matthew McConaughey, joined Nelson and his band for all-star renditions of "America the Beautiful," "Move It on Over," and "I Saw the Light." Missing from this were Matthews, Mellencamp, and Kid Rock. Womack and Keith were absent due to prior commitments.
Nelson was in such good spirits that, with the house lights up and spotlight crews climbing down, he led his band through 10 more songs after the finale. It took place after the CMT broadcast finished at 11 p.m. EST.
That rare moment of spontaneity in the increasingly homogenized and corporate-mentality of the concert environment may have been small, but it gave some hope that maybe a few people with a cause can affect a change for the better.
To donate, call 1-800-FARM AID.
