Willie Nelson hosted the digital concert event At Home With Farm Aid on Saturday, April 11. The concert, which featured performances from Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, raised over $500,000 for American family farmers and ranchers affected by the coronavirus crisis.
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The event, which streamed from AXS TV and the Farm Aid website, featured at-home performances from music legends for a good cause.
"The coronavirus has disrupted our entire country and is a grave threat to all of us," Nelson said in a statement. "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. 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."
Farm Aid was first launched in 1985 to raise money for American family farms.
"Farmers have given so much to America," Sarah Weidman, Head of Original Programming, Development and Multi-Platform Content for AXS TV, said in a statement. "With COVID-19 putting the farming industry to the ultimate test, it's our turn to give back. AXS TV is proud to continue our partnership with Farm Aid to bring our viewers this incredible event, hosted by four of rock, country, and folk's most influential icons. We hope that it will provide some much-needed entertainment during this time, while also informing people everywhere of the crisis impacting our farmers, the essential services farmers bring us, and what people can do to help."
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In March, Nelson hosted the online concert Til Further Notice, which featured performances from Nelson, Margo Price, Paul Simon and more.
Nelson will release his 70th solo studio First Rose of Spring on June 3. The album, the follow-up to 2019's Ride Me Back Home, was originally scheduled to drop on April 24, just before the music icon's birthday on April 29, but was pushed back, likely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The album, produced by Buddy Cannon, features songs penned by Billy Joe Shaver, Chris Stapleton, Toby Keith and more.
The album is available for pre-order here.
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