Attendees at the annual Farm Aid music festival got the usual suspects (Willie Nelson, Neil Young), but they also got a healthy dose of guest stars, including Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, John Mellencamp, and in a surprise appearance, folk legend Pete Seeger. The show, which took place in Saratoga Springs, NY, dealt with the less-than-agreeable weather successfully.
Johnson was the first of the "major" acts, and he played a mixture of his previous hits and songs from his new album "From Here To Now To You." The relaxed guitarist has avoided the touring circuit for a few years, but it's the second year in a row he's played Farm Aid. He hinted that fans can expect a third.
"It's my second year here," said Johnson. "I'm really happy to make it a tradition."
Matthews, another repeat performer, followed. He wasn't accompanied by his usual "Band," but Farm Aid attendees have become accustomed to Matthews performing his set acoustically along with Tim Reynolds, the lead guitarist in the Dave Matthews Band. Matthews stuck to his own tracks, which included a first-ever live performance of "If Only" in its acoustic form.
Mellencamp also stuck to his collection of hits. The songwriter told the crowd that he hadn't planned on playing "Jack and Diane," but was convinced otherwise by someone backstage. The classic elicited an ecstatic response from the crowd and Mellencamp expressed his surprise that it had lasted so long.
Young was not so set on playing his hits, but most of his fans take that as par for the course. He also opted to handle his set acoustically, but played only two of his own tracks during a seven song set ("Old Man" and "Heart of Gold"). The rest consisted of covers by Bob Dylan ("Blowin' In The Wind"), Gordon Lightfoot ("Early Morning Rain") and Tim Hardin ("Reason to Believe," which Young played on the organ).
Per tradition, Willie Nelson closed the festival, playing most of his set with his 24 year-old son Lukas, who was introduced as "the future of Farm Aid." The highlight of the show however was Seeger, who preceded Nelson. He warned the crowd that at age 94 his voice wasn't what it once was. Still, he enlisted the crowd to sing along with him for "If I Had A Hammer," and the rest of the performers joined him onstage for a rousing "This Land Is Your Land."
Other acts that opened during the night included Young's wife Pegi and her band, The Survivors, country musicians Jamey Johnson and Kacey Musgraves, as well as rockers To ad The Wet Sprocket.
