Neil Young Returning to Concert Stage at Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs
A month after cancelling all concert dates due to an unspecific illness, Neil Young will be returning to the concert stage as part of Farm Aid at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Sept. 21. He’ll be joined by his fellow Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews along with Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson with The Travelin’ McCourys, Charley Crockett, Joy Oladokun, Southern Avenue, Cassandra Lewis, and Jesse Welles.
“We’re energized to be back in New York,” Farm Aid Founder and President Nelson said in a statement. “The farmers here have always found ways to innovate and contribute to their communities, even as they deal with uncertainties, extreme weather and policies that favor corporations over people. Farmers need us to stand with them as they work to grow our future.”
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The 2013 incarnation of Farm Aid also took place at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. On that night, Pete Seeger performed in public for one of the last times, just five months before he died. “At age 94, I don’t have much voice left,” he told the crowd, before playing “If I Had a Hammer” on the banjo. “But here’s a song I think you know. If you sing it, we’ll make a good sound.”
Young has played every Farm Aid since the original back in 1985 with the exception of the 2021 and 2022 incarnations, which he sat out due to Covid-19 concerns. “My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music and be with friends,” he wrote to fans in 2021. “Do what you must, but think it through. We will be back. There is much work to do together.”
He returned to the touring in June 2023, and he appeared at Farm Aid on Sept. 23 in Noblesville, Indiana, for an abbreviated solo acoustic set. Young launched a North American tour with Crazy Horse, but it was called off after just 15 shows. “We will try to play some of the dates we miss as time passes when we are ready to rock again!” they wrote to disappointed fans. “We know many of you made travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Health is #1. We want to stay and do more shows and more albums for you… and for us.”
Young’s 2023 Farm Aid performance was followed by an unannounced appearance by Bob Dylan, who was backed for a thrilling electric set by Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs with guest keyboardist Benmont Tench. It was an echo of the original Farm Aid where Dylan was joined for the first time by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Tickets for this year’s Farm Aid go on sale July 26, and will range from $85 to $325. All proceeds go to the organization, which has raised nearly $80 million to help family farmers.
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