This Sunday, Farm Aid commemorates its 20th anniversary and tops off a week’s worth of festivities with an all-star concert at Tweeter Center in Tinley Park.
The non-profit organization–led by Willie Nelson and pledged to helping the American family farmer–is bringing its now-annual music fundraiser back to Illinois this year.
No other state has hosted as many Farm Aid benefits, and the first concert was held in Champaign in 1985 following the Live Aid benefit for Africa earlier that year. Farm Aid is now a year-round organization, based in Massachusetts and working to raise money and advocate for agriculture-related causes.
And while Illinois’ role as a crop producer makes it a logical choice for a show, Chicago also plays a large role, organizers say.
“Chicago turns the circle for us. Illinois represents family farmers to the nth degree and reflects what we’ve been talking about–the connection farms have to larger communities,” says Farm Aid program director Ted Quaday. “Without farmers working the land, cities would have a hard time feeding themselves. Chicago underscores that relationship.”
Still, to many people, Farm Aid means one thing: the music. This year’s lineup of almost two dozen acts includes Nelson, Wilco, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews.
The actual schedule of performers is not announced before the show. Neither are its beneficiaries; the group has been concentrating recently on Gulf Coast farmers affected by Hurricane Katrina and Illinois drought relief.
Music is what Farm Aid initially represented to West Rogers Park native and rock photographer Paul Natkin, who was invited to shoot the first Farm Aid concert in 1985. “I saw it as a chance to photograph 70 musicians. But then I got indoctrinated into what they were doing, and by the fourth year, I was into it.”
Natkin now donates his work to the foundation and is the event’s official photographer.
“There are a lot of rock stars with causes, but these guys are for real. They’re not doing Farm Aid because they want publicity–they 100 percent believe in this.”
A former fast-food junkie, Natkin says he changed his habits after adopting principles he learned from Farm Aid. “The message is to help save family farms from foreclosure but also to get people to understand that it doesn’t cost a whole lot more to eat really good food instead of not-so-good food.”
Keith Bolin is a farmer from Manlius, an Illinois town 120 miles west of Chicago. He contributes time and spends his own money to relay a similar message–he’s president of the American Corn Growers Association, one of the many organizations Farm Aid assists. Bolin is involved with the group because it “cares about something more than just money. We care about community. We’re about trying to extract more money for farmers from the marketplace, not from taxpayers.”
After Sunday’s concert, Quaday will spend several months pouring over proposals and recommending to Nelson which to fund (Nelson signs all the grant checks himself). Quaday says that Farm Aid is about creating networks, meeting with organizations, giving family farmers a voice, building marketing opportunities and providing training programs for farmers who want to transition to sustainable methods.
“We need to keep bringing forward the message of the importance of the family farm and its value in keeping ourselves fed,” he said.
WHEN: Concert is noon to 11 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: Tweeter Center, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park.
TICKETS: $33-$88; Available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 312-559-1212.
MORE INFORMATION: www.farmaid.org
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Artist lineup, other events
Farm Aid does not publicize the order of the performances before the concert, but it’s safe to assume that the foundation’s board members–Young, Mellencamp, Nelson and Matthews–will close out the concert. Expect big-name acts such as Chesney, Guy, Mayer and Wilco to play in the late afternoon and evening.
Willie Nelson
John Mellencamp
Neil Young
Dave Matthews
Wilco
Arlo Guthrie
Buddy Guy
Congressman Collin Peterson and the Second Amendments
Drew Davis Band
Emmylou Harris
James McMurtry
Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra
John Mayer
Kate Voegele
Kathleen Edwards
Kenny Chesney
Los Lonely Boys
Shannon Brown
Supersuckers
Susan Tedeschi
Widespread Panic
Here are some related events leading up to the concert.
Release party for “Farm Aid: A Song for America”: A book commemorating Farm Aid’s 20th anniversary and documenting its history. Written by Holly George-Warren and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Dave Hoekstra, with pictures by official Farm Aid photographer Paul Natkin, it features essays, lyrics, poems and photographs.
7 p.m. Friday at The Hideout’s 9th Anniversary Block Party, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.; $10, 773-227-4433.
Tractor Parade: A taste of rural America comes to the city as vintage and current-model tractors parade from downtown to the County Fair at Garfield Park Conservatory.
9:30 a.m. Saturday at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St.; free.
Farm Aid FarmYard at the County Fair: A family-oriented convergence of food, children’s attractions, music and farm equipment. The daylong event also features a forum on the good food movement with talks by radio commentator Jim Hightower and chef Rick Bayless.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.; free.
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A Farm Aid FAQ
When can I hear Wilco/Willie/Mellencamp?
Headliners play later in the day, and for longer sets. Farm Aid does not publicize the exact time of the performances before the concert.
Will there be artistic collaboration?
Farm Aid has always proven fertile for superstar partnerships. Tom Petty hooked up with Bob Dylan in 1985, Neil Young jammed with Phish in ’98, Beck picked strings with Nelson and the latter has joined with Young on multiple occasions. Expect to see more of the same here, particularly Guy teaming with Mayer and Harris sidling up to Young and/or Nelson.
Will I hear any unique songs?
Several artists have debuted unheard material at Farm Aid. An unofficial theme, Young’s “Last of His Kind (The Farm Aid Song)” has never appeared on any of his albums but has been heard live at Farm Aid. Kid Rock and Allison Moorer first performed their hit duet “Picture” at the 2002 concert. Matthews has also been known to bow new tunes. And during one of the hardest-rocking sets in the event’s history, Guns N’ Roses previewed “Civil War” in 1990. There’s a good chance that at least one musician will treat the crowd to a previously unreleased nugget.
What else will I hear?
Here’s a likely top 5 list of songs for Sunday:
1. “Mother Earth” by Neil Young, from “Ragged Glory.” Young normally plays this solemn environmental hymn on a pump organ, sending shivers down the spines of simply everyone within earshot.
2. “Rain on the Scarecrow” by John Mellencamp, from “Scarecrow.” Released the same year as Farm Aid started, this hard-fighting narrative about the plight and pride of family farmers might best encompass the event’s purpose.
3. “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie, from “Hobo’s Lullaby.” This folksy tribute to the train that travels from Chicago to the Big Easy is a forgone conclusion, given the tragedies stirred by Hurricane Katrina.
4. “Must’ve Been High” by the Supersuckers, from “Must’ve Been High.” Country-flavored rock pranksters originally recorded this lazy, tumbleweeds shuffle with fellow reefer lover and Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson.
5. “Amazing Grace,” traditional. In what’s become a tradition, the event’s musical participants reemerge and collectively sing this gospel staple, ending the show on an uplifting note.
— Bob Gendron
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Getting there
BY CAR
– From the city and north, take the Dan Ryan Expressway to I-57 South. Connect with I-80 West and exit at Harlem Avenue South. Or take Tribune music critic Greg Kot’s backroads shortcut: Exit I-57 at 167th Street and head west to Central Avenue. Turn left and cross over I-80. Watch for the stop sign at Flossmoor Road. Turn right and a mile later, you’ll hit the back parking lot of the Tweeter Center.
– From the western suburbs, get on I-294 and continue until it links with I-80 West. Exit at Harlem South.
– Premium parking, which places you steps away from the Tweeter Center entrance, is available for $20.
BY TRAIN
Metra Rock Island stops in Tinley Park at 173rd Street and Oak Park Avenue, from which you’ll either need to pedal a bicycle or find a ride to the theater.
The local Pace bus route No. 354 does not operate on Sundays.
Insider tips
– Glass bottles, cans and alcohol are not permitted. If packed in plastic bags, snacks and sandwiches can be carried inside. Fans can also bring bottled water, though this allowance often seems to be at the discretion of security. Disposable and non-professional cameras, as well as short beach chairs, are also allowed. Those sitting on the lawn should come equipped with sunscreen, hats, mosquito repellent, sunglasses and a blanket.
– Unless you’re dying to hear the very last note of the performance, heading out of the venue before the house lights come up will save you both time and headache. Traffic exiting the parking lots can quickly add a half-hour or more to the commute.
– Food and drinks at the Tweeter Center are expensive. Carve out some time before the show and head to nearby eateries at 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue.
Illinois farm facts
– Home to 76,000 farms, almost 80% of Illinois is farmland.
– The state supports 138 farmers markets and 152 organic farms.
– Home to more than 950 food manufacturing companies.
– Illinois is a leader in soybeans, corn and hogs but also produces buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish and Christmas trees.
SOURCE: Farm Aid; Illinois Department of Agriculture
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20 YEARS OF FARM AID: A TIMELINE
1985
7/13–Onstage at Live Aid, Bob Dylan says he hopes that some of the money being raised for Africa can be matched by funds to help American farmers pay their mortgages. Neil Young, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp take Dylan’s thoughts to heart. Farm Aid is born.
9/22–The inaugural Farm Aid concert plays before 80,000 people in Champaign. In addition to cause leaders Young, Nelson and Mellencamp, Dylan, Billy Joel, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty help with what was intended to be a one-time affair.
1986
7/4–Farm Aid II is held July 4, 1986, in Austin, Texas; the concert is held most years thereafter.
1990
4/7–After two years without the concert, Farm Aid heads to Indianapolis. The performance marks the beginning of an emphasis on environmentally conscientious farmers. It sells out in 90 minutes, is broadcast live on The Nashville Network and features Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Don Henley and Garth Brooks.
1993
4/24–
In the spring, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers flood entire towns, ruining 8 million acres of crops. Ames, Iowa, welcomes Bruce Hornsby, Ringo Starr, Dwight Yoakam and Martina McBride.
1997
10/4–The concert is originally scheduled to take place in Texas but is canceled due to poor ticket sales. It relocates to Tinley Park. The heartland responds and Beck, The Allman Brothers Band and John Fogerty delight a sold-out crowd.
2001
9/29–Temporarily renamed “A Concert for America,” Farm Aid plays in Noblesville, Ind., just weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
2005
9/18–Farm Aid
(“Keep America Growing”) marks its 20th anniversary with a week of festivities and a concert in Tinley Park.
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onthetown@tribune.com
