farm aid

By MARK TYLER JACKSON
Editor in Chief
and ERIC HOLM
Managing Editor
source:http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/georgetonian/pages/0217/ae.html
Western Pennsylvania is known for steel, Amish and Dr. John Sadlon, in that order. But after Saturday, Sept. 21, it’s known for rock and roll, jammin’ country music and environmental efficacy.

Burgettstown, Penn., just outside of Pittsburgh, was the site for Farm Aid 2002. This is an annual concert that, according to farmaid.org, “supports national, regional and local efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, fight factory farms, advocate for fair farm prices and provide credit counseling and direct assistance to farm families.” Its three founders, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, headline the event. Dave Matthews, newly named to the Farm Aid board of directors, was also one of the main attractions.

Farm Aid, which has been held all over the South and Midwest in its 18-year run, came to western Pennsylvania for the first time, and so did we. Our voyage began at 6 a.m. on Saturday, and we were Burgettstown-bound, via the mountains of West Virginia.

Carried by our excitement for the festival atmosphere, and our overwhelming disdain for factory farms, we rolled through the inclement weather until we saw the promised land that is the Keystone State.

After a brief layover in Steeltown, where we saw the convergence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers to form the ol’, ol’ Ohio, we dined at the exclusive McDonalds in Florence, Penn. Next stop, Post-Gazette Pavilion.

As we wandered into the amphitheater, we were greeted by the sweet vocals of the lovely Lee Ann Womack, who was joined on stage by the even lovelier Nelson. Womack was followed by new country sensation Anthony Smith, the sorely overrated Drive By Truckers (we weren’t impressed), and the always-boisterous Los Lonely Boys.

The rocking guitar riffs and soulful singing of Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Double Trouble followed and the crowd got on their feet for the first time all day. Country superstar from Down Under, Keith Urban, was the next one to take the stage. Again, the crowd was both hootin’ and hollerin’. It wouldn’t last for long, though, as the “yawn-inducing” (as Eric said) Gillian Welch took the stage. The half-drunken crowd was lulled back to the grassy hillock until the ever-enticing Toby Keith sang “Angry American (Red, White and Blue).” He, too, started to grow a bit stale.

As dusk faded into night, however, the pavilion started to buzz with anticipation for the upcoming artists. A loud guitar riff and thumping drums welcomed the energy-filled, white trash excitement that IS Kid Rock. With a throwback to Bob Seger, a segue into “American Badass” and a sweaty tank top, Mr. Rock worked the crowd into a frenzy with “Cowboy” and “Bawitdaba.” This is where the concert turned—for lack of a better term—good.

As a stagehand brought out a stand and a single guitar, the sold out crowd knew that Matthews was the next to take the stage. With six Dave Matthews Band concerts between us, we anticipated the solo performance as a new experience that we wouldn’t soon forget. We weren’t sold short.

As Dave soulfully sang “Crush,” we were mesmerized. As he jammed to “Grace is Gone,” “Bartender,” and ended on “All Along the Watchtower,” he surpassed all expectations we had going into the show.

John Mellencamp, as one would expect, played his popular hits from the 1980s, “Pink Houses,” “Paper in Fire,” and his more recent hit “Peaceful World.” Despite our accurate predictions of songs, and his nearness to the nursing home, he still rocked.

Speaking of old and senile, Neil Young took the stage next. Preaching against the evils of factory farmdom and the consumption of products like Tyson chicken, Young still managed to enthrall the crowd with “Harvest Moon” and “Heart of Gold.”

Finally, Willie Nelson took the stage and invited the rest of the musicians out to end the show. However, we were running low on blood sugar and were starting to see colorful hallucinations of dancing elephants from all of the secondhand illegal substances. So we did what any smart young college man would do…we drove. Six hours later, at 4 a.m. Sunday, we stumbled into our dorm room and collapsed into our beds.

Before drifting off to sleep, we talked about our expedition and of how much fun it was…

“Was it worth it?” Mark Tyler asked Eric.
“Oh, yeah,” we said in unison.