John Mellencamp hit the stage at this year’s Farm Aid festival on Saturday in Saratoga Springs, New York.
“The younger people who are doing this work [farming] need to get out and make some noise about it. Make some f—ing noise,” Mellencamp said at a pre-show press conference. “[Because if you don’t], corporate America will take it away. …If you want a better world, it starts with you.”
You can view Mellencamp’s complete set list below.
A Very Brief History of Farm Aid
Farm Aid was founded by Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Neil Young in 1985. The first incarnation of the festival took place in Champaign, Illinois, and also featured Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. At that concert, approximately nine million dollars was raised to aid family farmers in America. This is the second time the festival has been held in Saratoga Springs.
“We’re energized to be back in New York,” Nelson said in a previous statement (via Rolling Stone). “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.”
READ MORE: John Mellencamp’s ‘American Fool’: Beyond ‘Jack and Diane’
Among this year’s lineup, in addition to Mellencamp, Nelson and Young, is Dave Matthews, Mavis Staples, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson with the Travelin’ McCourys, Charley Crockett, Joy Oladokun, Southern Avenue, Cassandra Lewis and Jesse Welles.
John Mellencamp, Farm Aid 2024, Set List1. “John Cockers”2. “Paper in Fire”3. “Small Town”4. “Check It Out”5. “Longest Days”6. “Jack & Diane”7. “Rain on the Scarecrow”8. “Pink Houses”
John Mellencamp Albums Ranked
A pre-fab pop singer turned heartland rocker turned rootsy moralist, John Mellencamp has had almost as many career turns as names.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
