Willie Nelson performed at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island during Farm Aid 30, September 19, 2015.
Farm Aid was founded in Champaign, Illinois 30 years ago, when Willie Nelson organized an all-star benefit for family farmers in America's heartland. Since then, the annual concert has taken up residence in Tinley Park a few times, but Saturday's show at Northerly Island marked the first time Farm Aid has occurred in Chicago.
While Kacey Musgraves and Mavis Staples played mid-afternoon sets, attendees roamed through the grounds of FirstMerit Bank Pavilion, sampling a pricey selection of organic dishes and engaging with regional farmers through workshops and demonstrations. Ubiquitous radio hit-makers Imagine Dragons attracted the largest crowd of the evening, doling out its buoyant arena rock as the sun set.
The remainder of the show looked similar to every other Farm Aid concert in the past 15 years, with performances by each of the organization's board members. Dave Matthews turned in an acoustic set with Tim Reynolds, giving way to a patriotic set of hits by John Mellencamp. Neil Young played a fiery set of tunes from his recent protest record, The Monsanto Years, and Willie Nelson closed out the evening with tracks like "Whiskey River" accompanied by his family band. Relive the evening with our photos from Farm Aid 30.
