My summer was book-ended with two great music festivals---the Crossroads Guitar Festival in June, and then Farm Aid 25 this weekend. Even though Farm Aid didn't have quite as many musical heavy hitters, we had a fantastic time.
Some of the highlights:
The Bodeans: it was great to see the some locally grown talent on the big stage at Farm Aid. I was kinda bummed they only got to do three songs (Runaway, Good Things, and Closer to Free)...but a lot of the early acts only got short sets as well. I'm sure Kurt and Sammy were just happy to be there--and heck their band's name made the program, and the t-shirts!
New artist to watch: Lukas Nelson and the Promise of Real. Lukas is Willie's son..but sounds nothing like his dad. He's an incredibly talented blues guitar player..and he and his band really ripped it up. We only caught the end of his set, but he did get to come back near the end with his dad and play another song.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: they kicked off their set with All Along the Watchtower, and followed with acoustic versions of familiar DMB hits. Willie Nelson joined in on Grave Digger. Tim Reynolds guitar abilities are fantastic!
Neil Young: You never know what to expect from Neil Young. He used up a lot of his time talking about the plight of family farmers, which really ticked off some 20-something guys ahead of us. Hey..that's what the day was all about! Songs included "Down by the River," "Ohio," and "Long May You Run."
Steven Tyler: The Aerosmith front man was in town for American Idol auditions and came onstage to sing one tune with Willie Nelson. But he was smart enough to know it was Willie's day and exited the stage quickly.
The all-star jam: Okay..so musically it wasn't great. But it was cool to see every one back on stage singing along with Willie and Neil. It seemed Willie had no desire to go home.
Here are some pics from the day's adventures:
Great report! Hope you are feeling back to 'normal' (whatever THAT is!)
10/04/2010 5:59PM
Todd Ehlenfeldt
We too had a great time there. John Mellencamp really rocked. Lukas Nelson is insane-what fun. Neil Young was showing his age but well worth hearing, especially the 3 songs you mentioned. I heard some new songs & enjoyed bands I've never heard of.
10/17/2011 6:14PM
Inspired By Nature
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