Farm Aid 2014 Highlights – Raleigh, NC 9/13/14 (FESTIVAL RECAP)

After 10 hours of music and food, it was tough to decide who won Farm Aid 2014. Was it Jack White or the chocolate sea salt pie? Perhaps Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, or the bratwurst with BBQ sauce glaze? More likely, it was the farmers and organizations that benefitted from the concert’s charitable cause. Regardless of which aspect of Farm Aid attendees enjoyed more, the day turned out to be a win in every category for the city of Raleigh and the approximately 22,000 fans, volunteers, and employees who camped out at Walnut Creek for a marathon of music and munchies. Here are five favorite moments from the event, which was the 29th of its kind.

Jack White’s Entire Set – Heavy on White Stripes material and exploding with energy, Jack White’s set featured his band of instrumental wizards creating lightning. In under an hour, they doled out one of the best 10-song blasts of music that the venue has ever hosted. When music people talk about Farm Aid 2014, Jack White is going to be the first name on their lips. The unrelenting stomp of “Seven Nation Army” may have pleased the largest percentage of the crowd, but the real highlights were other Stripes tunes. “Ball and Biscuit”, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”, and the charged opener “Icky Thump”, along with latter-day White staple “Lazaretto”, shone most brightly. This is a set that will be listened to, viewed, and shared for decades to come.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, “Dancing Nancies” – Dave and Tim took the stage to a crowd already warm and waiting for their set. It’s no surprise that the Dave fans came in droves, and while it was a step down in energy from the Jack White explosion that preceded it, the duo still managed to keep the venue at a full boil for another 45 minutes. “Bartender”, “Crush”, and “Ants Marching” were well received, but the set-ending “Dancing Nancies”, with its jubilant singalong “la la la hey” climax, made for spectacular sunset atmosphere.

5

Neil Young, “Standing in the Light of Love” – Young was fiercely topical with his set list and played the instigator role as only he can. Not bound by a microphone stand, Young paced the front of the stage while he admonished North Carolina senator Richard Burr and spoke of corporate agriculture doom and gloom. But his music spoke the most profoundly, and his obscure song “Standing in the Light of Love” has been roused from a 13-year live slumber in brilliant fashion, with lyrics altered to reference the “endless search for oil”.

John Mellencamp Being Mellencamp – Regardless of how you may feel about Mellencamp’s oeuvre, his ability to entertain a crowd can’t be questioned. He plays the nostalgia card, but at least he’s got a nice hand; more like a full deck, really. Eight straight bona-fide Middle American hits comprised the bulk of his set. In addition, the hour-long show featured one of the few collaborations of the night, as Preservation Hall Jazz Band joined the Farm Aid mainstay for a few songs.

8

Any Time Gary Clark Jr. Jammed – Gary Clark Jr’s guitar playing is the sort that makes your lip involuntarily curl, your toes clench, and causes your mind to wander. During the few moments in his brief set that he was able to cut loose, the results were mind-boggling, his sweaty and intense playing hitting the primordial sweet spot in which all rock and blues fans long to languish. After a group of relatively sedate sets to start the day, Clark offered a “Pusher Man” tease here, an effortlessly blistering solo there, and his playing was just what the audience needed to shift into headliner mode.

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