A seven-song set from legendary rocker Neil Young, with new band The Chrome Hearts, saw the group perform protest hits at Farm Aid 40.
The fortieth anniversary of the benefit concert in aid of American farmers saw Young perform hits like Rockin’ in the Free World and Southern Man, but also a new protest song, Big Crime. The song made its debut during the soundcheck of Young and the Chrome Hearts’ Chicago, Illinois tour. It was released after his album, Talkin’ to the Trees, which featured hits like Big Change. The Farm Aid 40 show saw the likes of Young, as well as Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, perform. Among the protest tracks were classics from Young’s days working with Crazy Horse, as well as a Harvest classic to close out the show. John Mellencamp and Waxahatchee would also perform at Farm Aid 40.
Young’s seven-song setlist was a hits collection, with the veteran performer just wrapping up his Love Earth tour. A full setlist of his Farm Aid 40 show can be found below.
- Big Crime
- Rockin’ in the Free World
- Long Walk Home
- Be the Rain
- Southern Man
- Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
- Old Man
The event raising money for farmers across America celebrated its fortieth anniversary, with a stellar line-up also featuring Bob Dylan. Dylan has just finished his Outlaw Music Festival tour and will pick up the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in the UK later this year. The veteran songwriter would play a shortened selection of his Outlaw Music Festival tour songs, with his five-song set a snippet from the usual setlist of his earlier shows.
Dylan made a surprise appearance at Farm Aid in 2023, playing Maggie’s Farm and a handful of other classics. His recent appearance for the fortieth anniversary would see a similar layout to his Outlaw Music Festival stage. Dylan would sit behind the piano, with his hood up, obscured by the dark stage.
His five-song setlist would be short and sweet, twenty minutes of hit songs. Aside from a Bo Diddley cover, Dylan’s set featured nothing but classics from his ’60s discography. A full setlist for the Farm Aid 2025 show can be found below.
- All Along the Watchtower
- I Can Tell (Bo Diddley cover)
- To Ramona
- Highway 61 Revisited
- Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
At-home viewers of the show were full of praise for Dylan, who is fresh off the Outlaw Music Festival tour. One person in a YouTube upload of the performance wrote: “This is amazing.” Another added: “Excellent video to live up to this tight, short set from Bob Dylan and his band.”
The Farm Aid lineup this year also featured Willie Nelson, Neil Young (and the Chrome Hearts), John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), and Margo Price, as well as Kenny Chesney, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Trampled by Turtles, Wynonna Judd, Steve Earle, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and Wisdom Indian Dancers.
