Farm Aid today (and forever?)
Posted on September 20th, 2008 – 11:52 AMBy Chris Riemenschneider
You gotta give props to Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp (and, of late, Dave Matthews, too). They found a pet cause and they stuck with it. Willie came up with Farm Aid in 1985 based off Bob Dylan’s comments at the original, Reagan-era Live Aid that it was too bad some of the money couldn’t also go to struggling American farmers. It wasn’t a sexy cause then or now. But with hurricanes, drought, floods and other disasters hurting farmers, it’s as important as ever.
You can watch the concert from Boston today starting at 3 p.m. on DirecTV channel 101. Other performers include Kenny Chesney, Steve Earle, .moe, the Pretenders and Jakob Dylan, who was in St. Paul just last night to play the McNally Smith River Rocks festival (he told our Jon Bream backstage that he and his excellent new band had to get up at 5 a.m. to make today’s gig). Click here for more info on Farm Aid.
One response to "Farm Aid today (and forever?)"
Jakob Dylan put on a GREAT Concert in St. Paul like he does every time he comes to Minnesota. The Wallflowers Concert last November at the Fitzgerald was the BEST Dylan/Wallflowers gig I’ve seen since their 1st Avenue Gig in March 1997. Unfortunately his introspective mellow setlist would have been much more appreciated at a club like the Fine Line, than outdoors at a Rockfest. The crowd at the McNally Smith Rockfest were there to see O.A.R. Dylan and his band: the Gold Mountain Rebels, which includes recent Wallflowers drummer: Fred Eltringham played almost as many Wallflowers tunes as new songs from his 1st solo CD: Seeing Things. The single; Something Good this way Comes was as perfect a radio friendly pop song as you’ll hear in 2008. Most of the songs were mid tempo laid back variety that were met with tepid applause. All the Wallflowers tunes had a bluegrass country feel; that only hard core fans would reconize. The band was well rehearsed and polished. If you’re a Dylan purist like me(Bob or Jakob for that matter) it was GREAT. Casual fans would be less than happy.
Message to Jakob: Come back this Winter and play the Fine Line Music Cafe. I guarantee a Sell OUT!
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