Farm Aid to Air Live ‘At Home’ Concert on AXS TV

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Neil Young performing “Vampire Blues” during his Farm Aid at Home set

Farm Aid’s special “At Home With Farm Aid” concert aired live on Saturday, April 11 on AXS TV. The live hour-long performance brought Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews together for a special benefit concert for family farmers impacted by the effects of COVID-19. The event began at 8 p.m. ET and ran for approximately 70 minutes.

The live event reunited Farm Aid president Nelson, joined by his sons Lukas and Micah, with fellow music legends and Farm Aid board members Mellencamp, Young, and Matthews, for an intimate performance to raise funds and awareness for farmers impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young, on guitar and harmonica, opened his brief set with “Vampire Blues,” and followed it with “Love and Only Love” and “Helpless.” The latter two songs were shown in black-and-white.

Willie Nelson, flanked by sons Micah (L) and Lukas, during their Farm Aid at Home set

Nelson, flanked by sons Micah and Lukas, hosted the event. They began their set with Micah singing lead on “I Thought About You, Lord.” Lukas then led them on “Hands on the Wheel.” Willie then took lead vocals, aptly choosing “On the Road Again.”

The unique concert captured the quartet as they each tuned in from their own homes and studios. “At Home With Farm Aid” airs as part of AXS TV’s new “@Home And Social” initiative—an ongoing series giving artists a platform to broadcast live performances from their homes and studios directly to their fans, with proceeds supporting those in need as a result of the coronavirus. Viewers were able to watch the simulcast on AXS TV and at FarmAid.org, as well as across the network’s various social media platforms.

Watch the entire presentation

Additionally, viewers can relive performances from Nelson, Mellencamp, Young, Matthews and more, when AXS TV presents The Best Of Farm Aid 2019 on Sunday, April 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The two-and-a-half-hour special compiles footage from AXS TV’s live broadcast of the 2019 festival. That event also includes sets from Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Tanya Tucker, Margo Price, Yola and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, among others, as well as Bonnie Raitt’s previously unaired performance of “Devil Got My Woman”—seen now for the first time on television.

Watch Willie Nelson & Family perform at Farm Aid 2019

From the April 8 announcement: For more than three decades, Farm Aid has worked diligently to build a dynamic family farm-centered agricultural system benefiting farms both big and small. Now, with COVID-19 presenting farmers across the country with a new set of challenges to overcome, Farm Aid is responding immediately to invest in farmer-led solutions to the COVID-19 crisis; make emergency grants to farmers and ranchers in need; create comprehensive resources for farmers; connect farmers to legal, financial, and mental health support resources; support local, state, and national farm organizations; and advocate for COVID-19 recovery funds and resources from the federal government for short-term relief and long-term resilience. To make a donation so that Farm Aid can support and strengthen our farmers, please visit FarmAid.org/donate.

“The coronavirus has disrupted our entire country and is a grave threat to all of us. One of its many impacts is that it has helped us to better see the value of essential people like healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, delivery truck drivers, and farmers and ranchers,” said Farm Aid president Willie Nelson. “Farm Aid has worked for 35 years to build a family farm centered agricultural system, and we are here now to support farmers and ranchers in this crisis, without whom we could not eat. The time to build a resilient family farm food system is now!”

Watch Nelson and sons Lukas and Micah perform from home in March 2020