This spring, Neil Young & Crazy Horse kicked off their first tour since 2019. Young had previously been one of the most vocal skeptics about pandemic-era touring, and, despite only booking outdoor amphitheatres, the North American Love Earth Tour dates scheduled for the month of July (including seven Canadian concerts) were cancelled due to illness. "When a couple of us got sick after Detroit's [Pine Knob Music Theatre show on May 22], we had to stop. We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break," the band shared in a statement at the time.
While the future of those dates — which they said they would try to reschedule once they were well again — remains unclear, Young himself has announced his first performance since this big unplanned break. The legendary singer-songwriter will be among the artists to take the stage at this year's Farm Aid festival.
Despite backing out of the benefit event in 2021 over COVID-19 concerns, Young has been a Farm Aid regular for years. In 2024, he'll join Willie Nelson (& Family), John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Joy Oladokun, Charley Crockett, Cassandra Lewis, Lukas Nelson with the Travelin' McCourys, Southern Avenue and Jesse Welles on September 21 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY.
The first-ever Farm Aid concert was co-organized by Young, Nelson and Mellencamp in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and funds to help the families stay on the land. Visit the Farm Aid website to learn more about their mission and the festival, for which more 2024 performers are still to be announced.