PHOTO CREDIT: © Brian Bruner / Bruner Photo
Farm Aid, the annual event to raise awareness for the struggles of family farms, turned 34 at Alpine Valley on Saturday. The ever-changing weather could not dampen the spirits of approximately 36,000 music fans and supporters of family farms. And to be fair, the day’s on-and-off showers are the kind of conditions farmers face all the time.
The notion of family was on full display throughout the day. Ian Mellencamp, nephew of John played an early solo set. Margo Price bought her very young daughter onstage for the evening’s encore. Willie Nelson’s sons Micah and Lukas led their own bands (Particle Kid and Promise of the Real,) as well as backing Neil Young and joining their Dad’s closing set. Nelson’s sister Bobbie has played piano in his band for over four decades; then there was the toddler who strolled the stage with an unplugged guitar making “devil horns.” And at the HomeGrown Village local vendors were populated with family members hard at work.
In all, 17 acts took the stage, many joining others in collaboration as the day wore on. Particle Kid was a nice surprise, hearing Micah Nelson channeling a bit of his sonic godfather Neil Young’s guitar sound. David Amram would make first of several appearances on flutes and hand drum. Tanya Tucker reprised her appearance from the inaugural event in at Champaign, IL in 1985. Her country sounds offered a contrast to Yolo’s British soul-inspired set, which included a wailing take on Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
Bonnie Raitt offered “a woman’s point of view” with her funky soul blues and a band that included Ivan Neville on keyboards. Playing slide guitar on her old faithful Stratocaster, Raitt laid down an especially mournful solo on “Thing Called Love.” Then, with “Angel from Montgomery,” she stopped the night in its tracks.
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Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real’s bluesy rock set ended with a cover of CSN&Y’s “Carry On,” referencing the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Luke Combs “One Number Away” drew the biggest audience singalong of the day, thus far.
Beyond the Music
Throughout the day the FarmYard Stage offered discussions on various issues. Stories and subject matter were varied but farm-related: How can farmers be part of climate solutions? How do farmers deal with stress and depression in rural settings? (A dairy farmer from Loganville spoke first-hand about the stigma of mental health in a small-town community.) The unique agricultural traditions of Wisconsin’s tribal nations and how they had to deal with problems like the time the Army Corps of Engineers flooded burial grounds.
Clean-cut teenagers representing in blue corduroy FFA (Future Farmers of America) jackets mingled with seasoned tie-dye-wearing festival veterans. Local food vendors co-existed peacefully with overpriced beverage and sandwich stands.
Farm Stories
A small operation hay and straw farmer in northern Illinois said there are certain aspects of the business the farmer has no control over --suggesting policies from the top like tariffs are not always good for farmers. He said he had to close up the dairy side of his operation due to it not being profitable. His parents farmed, his children do not.
O'Harrow's Family Farm, in Oconto Falls is exclusively dairy, run by Ginny and Joel O’Harrow. As a family farm they have roughly 35 employees. Ginny said their milkers work 12hr shifts, 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. or vice versa. Field hands work can be upwards of 12-20 hours. Calf crew is usually 12 hours as well, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Shop workers are also on a 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift.
“Most want to work 5-6 days a week. It is typically 72 hours a week,” she said. “Our average day varies, but we don't ever really stop thinking, worrying about the farm, milk price, weather. We are usually around 6 days a week.”
The Headliners
Events of this size are made to be logistically streamlined. Change-over time between acts was kept to a minimum. The stage consisted of three platform “carts” -- full-size stage grids – that could be set up behind the curtain while the featured artist played on stage.
By nightfall Alpine Valley turns into a benevolent DMZ. Folks who have been sharing rain ponchos and food throughout the day have settled in to their encampments on the unlighted hill, presumably timing any sensory enhancers of choice to take their course.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds are no strangers to Alpine Valley or festival crowds, only the length of their abbreviated set was out of the norm.
When John Mellencamp and band take the stage, it has become a big-time rock concert, with the singer actually stopping to correct the audience singing along during “Jack & Diane.” Though he broke out in the era of music videos, Mellencamp forged ahead as a songwriter and always leads a crack band. And he always references music history -- the violin and accordion duo intro to “I Need a Lover” quoted “On Broadway” and Mellencamp had the audience on their feet for an extended take of “Land of 1000 Dances.” Ending with “Pink Houses,” he implicitly acknowledged he is never less than a populist.
Backed by Promise of the Real, Neil Young appropriately opened on upright piano with “Are You Ready for the Country” before balancing acoustic hits “Heart of Gold” and “Harvest Moon.” An electric barbwire “Homegrown” was offset by his anti-Monsanto tune. While it was a short set, Young had no problem getting loud with an anthemic “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” and a rugged version “Throw our Hatred Down.”
By the time Wille Nelson and Family took the stage it had been nearly 12 hours since he attended the opening press event. Nelson had canceled dates in August due to a breathing problem. Yet like he has done thousands of times, Nelson opened with “Whiskey River.” He followed with perhaps a mission statement, “Still is Still Moving to Me.” He paid tribute to fallen compadres Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. He allowed son Lukas the spotlight for a blues tune and was more than content to sing the first line of song’s choruses and let the audience take it from there. If his voice was noticeably weakened, Nelson’s guitar playing was as agile as ever.
Inviting many of the day’s performers onstage, Nelson led the crowded, assembled all-star cast on “Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I’ll Fly Away.”
