Willie Nelson closed out his annual Farm Aid festival on Saturday night. This year the benefit concert took place in Saratoga Springs, New York.
“Happy Farm Aid! 39 years!” Nelson said from the stage. Some technical difficulties took place in the first half of his set, but were resolved quickly.
You can view Nelson’s complete set list below, which included a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” as well as renditions of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and “It’s Hard to Be Humble” with all the guest performers of the festival.
This is the second time Farm Aid has been held in Saratoga, with the last time being over a decade ago in 2013.
“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: Top 10 Willie Nelson Songs
Nelson’s finale came after sets by John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and a host of others: 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.
“They have all the technology to save the planet,” Matthews said at a pre-show press conference, “but the thing that stops us is greed. … It’s corporate greed.”
“[Farming] is a lot like the music business business,” Price said, “in the fact that it’s just not sustainable for a lot of folks. … Where you spend your dollar — that matters a lot.”
Willie Nelson, On the Road Again
Nelson has had a busy year already, touring with Dylan and Mellencamp, as well as Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on his Outlaw Festival tour. Unfortunately, Nelson missed the first eight shows of the tour on account of doctor’s orders.
Currently, Nelson is scheduled to play three concerts in October, all in his home state of Texas.
Willie Nelson, Farm Aid 2024, Set List
1. “Whiskey River” (Johnny Bush cover)
2. “Bloody Mary Morning”
3. “I Never Cared for You” (Initially aborted due to house audio technical difficulties; restarted)
4. “Texas Flood” (Larry Davis cover)
5. “(If I Die When I’m High) Halfway to Heaven” (Particle Kid cover)
6. “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” (Ed Bruce cover)
7. “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
8. “On the Road Again”
9. “Always on My Mind”
10. “Just Breathe” (Pearl Jam Cover)
11. “Georgia (On My Mind)”
12. “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (Kris Kristofferson cover)
13. “Everything Is Bullshit” (Particle Kid cover)
14. “Last Leaf” (Tom Waits cover)
15. “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”
16. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” (William MacEwan cover) (with all guest performers)
17. “It’s Hard to Be Humble” (Mac Davis cover) (with all guest performers)
18. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
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Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp
