Back in 1985, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp joined forces and organized the first-ever Farm Aid, with Dave Matthews joining the organization in 2001. The long-running nonprofit concert series seeks to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to support farming families, and since its inception has raised more than $50 million dollars.
This year, the 33rd-annual edition of Farm Aid will be held at Hartford, Connecticut’s Xfinity Theatre on September 22nd. In addition to festival staples Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews (who will perform with frequent collaborator Tim Reynolds), Farm Aid will also see performances by Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Particle Kid, and more. The 2018 event sold out in four hours, but there are still several ways you can enjoy the event.
Starting at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday afternoon, a free webcast will air via the festival’s YouTube channel. Also, cable network AXS TV will air performances after 7 pm ET. Of course, SiriusXM’s Channel 59, Willie’s Roudhouse, will also broadcast the event, starting at noon ET, including all performances and behind-the-scenes interviews with host Dallas Wayne.
For more information on Farm Aid 2018, head to the event’s website here.