Concert Flashback: September 22nd, 1985. Farm Aid 1. Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. Ticket price $17.50/credentialed.

Bob Dylan made an offhand comment while performing at Live Aid in July, 1985. Something along the line of, “Maybe they can take just a little bit of the money they make today, and give it to the farmers who need help.” That comment got Willie Nelson to thinking…

Nelson got his friends, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, on board with the idea of taking Dylan’s idea to heart. Farm Aid 1 took place 40 years ago today. September 22nd, 1985, in Champaign, IL at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois. It was a rainy Sunday. 80,000 people attended, and it raised seven million dollars for struggling farmers, many of whom were in a crisis, brought on by a combination of things.

Two years into my first job as a photographer at The Macomb Daily Journal, and a lover of music… You know where this is going... I applied for credentials and received them. A photo pass and a writer’s pass. Separate of each other.

A friend, Mark, was intended to go along, each of us using one pass. The writer’s pass to Mark. The photo pass for me. Mark bailed out on short notice. The night before the show, I found myself on a phone call, talking to Trevor. He was a friend, was learning photography, and a freshman at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. I offered the writer’s pass to him. It was probably 10 p.m. at this point. Trevor got in his car and made the 6 hour drive to Macomb, arriving at my place in the middle of the night. We may have rested some, but pretty much geared up and headed for Champaign.

Media check in was at a Ramada Inn, just west of the stadium. We got in line to pick up our credentials. Interestingly, the usual benefit of being a member of the press, a “free ride,” didn’t apply today. We had to pay $17.50 each, the face value of a ticket, just like everyone else. I had no problem with that because of where the money was to go. The line moved quickly. As we stood there, Neil Young passed. One of my favorite artists at the time. The temptation was to break line and approach. “You are a professional,” I told myself, staying put.

We’d leave the car in the Ramada lot and walk the short distance to the stadium. Trevor had brought his camera but assumed he wouldn’t be able to use it because of his “writer’s pass.” He left it in the car, armed only with a reporter’s notebook. We got into the stadium around 9 a.m. and split up. He would be back in the staging and hospitality area. I’d be out front, making photos. Remember, 1985. Waaaaaay before mobile phones.

Before the show began, a steady, cool, rain hit. It lasted all day and into the evening before letting up some. That’s not what dampened our spirits. Without knowing of each other’s situation, Trevor discovered cameras were allowed backstage. I discovered my “photo pass” didn’t grant access to the photo pit. Any photos would be made from where ever I could fight my way through the crowd. It made for a huge letdown. I vowed to persevere, but the rain and “buzz kill” made it very difficult.

As I recall, Neil Young came out and did a song or two. Then, L.A. punk rockers, X, was the first band to come out and really get the day rolling. From then on…The diversity of acts and the amount of talent there that day was staggering. I’m not sure how many artists crossed the stage that day. Here is a link to who played, and their set lists.

https://www.setlist.fm/festival/1985/farm-aid-1985-43d6ab27.html

The music was SO good. But the rain…I made photos when inspired, changing locations. At other times, I stood, listened and watched. Trevor, backstage…Was literally in the middle of everything. As a wide-eyed 19 year old, he was aware this was a once in a lifetime experience, making observations and taking notes, Trevor’s contributions to this blog are IMMEASURABLE!

All day, into the evening, it went. Well organized, one act after another. John Fogerty was a huge highlight for me. I loved Creedence Clearwater Revival as a kid. Farm Aid was Fogerty’s first public appearance in 12 years. His set was solid, so was his message. “Hey. You don’t just go down to the Safeway and pick up your hamburger. Some farmer gave his whole life for that.”

People were having fun, things had been “g-rated,” and family oriented. Then, Sammy Hagar introduced his song, “I Can’t Drive 55.” “Here’s one for all you tractor pullin’ motherfuckers out there!” The Nashville Network, broadcasting live, covered with, “Well, Sammy sure is enthusiastic tonight.”

Trevor and I found each other around 10 p.m. He recalls the crowd had dwindled. As it grew late, Trevor says the show ended with Willie Nelson, jamming with a few others, then sort of waving to the crowd, “Thank you and goodnight.” Trevor and I drove back to Macomb. He immediately began the drive back to Warrensburg. I was back to work the next morning.

If every detail of the day was put this blog, you’d reading for days. It’s best now, to use “Quick hits”, in no particular order of progression or importance. My memories first. Trevor’s astounding compilations second.

KENT’S NOTES:

1. Foreigner performed “I Want To Know What Love Is” with the backing of a full choir.
2. David Allan Coe announced himself as he took the stage. “You’re looking at what’s left of David Allan Coe.”
3. It was John Fogerty’s first public performance in 12 years. No, he didn’t play any Creedence songs.
4. Two artists performed my favorite songs of theirs. John Denver did “Back Home Again,” Carole King did “Sweet Seasons.”
5. Daryl Hall covered one of my favorite songs of all time. “Oh Girl,” by The Chi-Lites.
6. Lou Reed dedicated “Walk on the Wild Side” to Tipper Gore. (Gore was railing against explicit lyrics and helped found the PRMC, Parents Resource Music Center.
7. Timothy Hutton hooked up with Debra Winger at this event.
8. B.B. King was presented with a birthday cake backstage. His birthday was days before, on the 16th.
9. It was the first time Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen got together, leading to Hagar joining the Van Halen band.
10. Bob Dylan used Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backing band for his set.
11. My friend Lee, a farmer from the Macomb area, was interviewed by ABC radio.
12. John Mellencamp performed in a Seymour, Indiana, FFA jacket.
13. Billy Joel and Randy Newman doing a piano duel of “Stagger Lee.”

TREVOR’S NOTES:

Trevor interacted and/or had conversations with many artists and dignitaries. At 19 years of age, he also found himself “fetching beers” for Eddie Van Halen, Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, and others. Trevor helped place B.B. King’s birthday cake on a table. If there was an artist he wanted to see, he had limited access to view the stage. He shuffled between the tent and that area throughout the day.

Dottie West quotes: “I was raised on country sunshine.” (Country Sunshine was a hit for West.) “Actually, I was raised on cornbread and a fiddle.” “I remember the days we picked the cotton and sugarcane. We had to miss 4-5 weeks of school in the fall to help on the farm.”

On Willie Nelson: Smelled progressively bad as the day went on, especially after the rain.
Made several formal/informal stops in the press tent, accompanying many artists for their interviews, including David Allan Coe, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, and Sissy Spasek.
A quote from Willie. “So goes the family farm, so goes the grocery store down the street, then the gas station down the street. It snowballs.”

On Lou Reed: Didn’t “seem there” during the interview. Wanted to talk more about music censorship than the farm situation.
A quote from Lou. “Everyone’s a musical influence on me.”

Quotes from John Denver: “I’ve picked cotton and cut wheat all the way from Texas to Canada.”
“The small family farm is the foundation of of our society.”

A quote from Randy Newman: “Billy Joel and I have never played together, so we’ll probably sound like shit.”

A quote from John Mellencamp: “I’m a lot more radical than most of the people up here.”

On Sammy Hagar/Eddie Van Halen: Sammy did most of the talking, hardly shut-up.
Eddie never stopped smiling. Like he was in a daze.
A quote from Eddie: “We’re making it official here.” (David Lee Roth out, Sammy in)
When asked if the band’s name would change. “No. Van Halen. I’m not changing it to Roth.”
Trevor had a brief chat with Eddie, telling him his (Trevor’s) first concert was a Van Halen show in Macomb in 1980. “He was a very nice person,” Trevor reports.

Trevor spoke with Martha Quinn multiple times. Quinn, the MTV host, coordinated press tent appearances.

On Tom Petty: Glazed eyes and hardly spoke. One word answers when asked questions and to elaborate. Press conference with Petty was very awkward. He was quickly in/out of the press tent.

On Daryl Hall: Impressive hairdo.
A quote from Hall: “It’s like a picnic up there.” (on stage and back stage).

On B.B. King: Was presented a guitar shaped cake (Lucille) for his 60th birthday. I was sitting nearby and helped set the cake on the table in front of King. Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels prompted the group to then sing “Happy Birthday.”
A lot of chit-chat about King’s performance earlier in the day. He broke a guitar string and changed it on the fly during “How Blue Can You Get.”
King talked a lot about his upbringing, born on a plantation, later working as a sharecropper.

On Charlie Daniels: Angry disposition. Wants five minutes with President Reagan to “tell him what he should be doing.”
A quote from Daniels: “Politicians should start doing what they’re supposed to be doing, serving the people.” I think they’re doing a piss poor job of it.”
'“Charlie Daniels was an angry, angry, angry, man,” Trevor’s notes state.

On Don Henley: He came into the tent with an arrogance, appeared he was looking for someone. Not very animated on stage.

On Delbert McClinton: Delbert came in, sat down, and no one recognized him. He pulled out a harp and began to softly play.

On Carole King: Trevor and King had a one on one conversation. They spoke about her ranch in Idaho, and the animals her and her husband raise, mules and poultry.
King admitted to financial issues with the ranch, to the point of having to be in court.
King was involved with environmental issues with the Idaho forests.

On Neil Young: Young walked into the tent and sat down. There were three of us. He looked directly at me and said, “Hey Hey, My My.”
Quotes from Young: “I love my family, and the American family is at stake.”
“Our American heritage is at stake, and we’re going to turn it around.”
”I’m political, but this isn’t political.”
”I haven’t had much sleep in the past three weeks. I went to Washington and researched bills. I did my homework.”
”I think President Reagan has done a good job.”
”I would like world peace. But I also want safety for my family.”
”After we took our name (band name, The International Harvesters) the company went broke. I guess they only make trucks now.”

Quotes from Tonya Tucker: “So many people from different parts of the music business here.”
”I love it when George Jones comes on right after Foreigner.”

On Brian Setzer: Farm Aid was his first solo set (away from The Stray Cats). No new name for the band yet.
Setzer is a big New York Mets fan.
Was asked to play at the last minute by John Mellencamp.

Quotes from Kenny Rogers: “It’s hard to get emotionally involved in every situation.”
”My involvement is in world hunger. But there’s a correlation between the two.”

Trevor also notes: Roy Orbison’s glasses.
Having a crush on Valerie Bertinelli.
Lots of energy from the evening performers.
He carries 40 years of lament and remorse for not having a camera. “There would have been no issues.” “It was one of the biggest photo blunders I ever did.”
"There seemed to be some artists who were less concerned about the farm situation than their own, self-serving interests.”
All of the country artists…”My grandma wouldn’t believe it.” “I shook hands with Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, and Glen Campbell.”
He got autographs from everyone in the Alabama band, as well as Daryl Hall, Glen Campbell, and Lou Gramm of Foreigner.

The day didn’t work out the way it could have for Trevor. And it didn’t for out for me in what I expected. But it was still a day.

"Concert Flashback. Farm Aid 1"

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