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CNN Live Event/Special

Farm Aid Concert Live, A CNN Special Event. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired September 20, 2025 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[20:00:00]

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): You could have done differently, but I'm proud of that. I think we told America what we stood for. We laid that out and I respect voters.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: What could be nicer than a Minnesotan? Love it. Thank you so much.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Thanks for hosting this concert. Thanks for having us here Gov.

WALZ: And the weather. You're welcome.

BERMAN: Thanks for the weather.

COATES: And please don't -- please avoid --

How fun is this being in Minneapolis right now? The weather is wonderful. We are here. It's about 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. East. And the energy is electric at one of the biggest music festivals of the year. You guys, it is the 40th anniversary of Farm Aid. That's older than me. Just kidding. We're live on CNN.

And you're looking at live pictures of Huntington's Big Stadium. Thousands, John, have gathered here for an all-star lineup, starting with John Berman.

BERMAN: I am John Berman, as Laura Coates said. You are watching a special CNN presentation of Farm Aid 40. Margo Price, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Minnesota's own Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and then the one and only Willie Nelson. They are all here to support the farmers who do so much for us, who literally feed America.

Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $80 million for farmers and their families. We've got the governor of Minnesota literally taking a selfie here.

COATES: We're good. We're good.

WALZ: Willie Nelson and Annie Nelson just texted me. And they say, hey, Gov., did you make it? And I just sent him a picture of the three of us.

COATES: Yes. I love it.

WALZ: There we go.

COATES: Well, you know what, tell him he's always on my mind.

WALZ: So there's that number you were looking for.

BERMAN: That's fantastic. Willie Nelson, I got Willie Nelson's number. Governor Walz, thank you very much.

Let's get backstage right now to CNN's Bill Weir. Bill, I know you have a special guest, someone who performed earlier in the day.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. It's rare to be scrolling through your feeds and find what you think may be the next Bob Dylan. That is definitely the case. I'm not singular in that observation. Many other people have had that, which is why Jesse Welles just played his first stadium. This talent's out of Ozark, Arkansas. Good to meet you, Jesse.

JESSE WELLES, MUSICIAN: Hey, good to meet you. Yeah.

WEIR: You like the Dylan comparisons? What do you think of that?

WELLES: Sure. You know, that's flattering. The shoes are too big to fill. But, you know, I think people just grab the closest thing they've ever seen to it. And -- and that's the comparison they draw.

WEIR: Well, in addition to your music, which I love, and your voice I love, you are continuing this tradition of voices of conscience. You -- you write songs about the war in Gaza and about UnitedHealthcare. You wrote a song after the Charlie Kirk assassination. It was very poignant. What is it that makes you lean in while plenty of artists would rather avoid politics altogether?

WELLES: Years, things have gone down. I haven't seen anyone really talk about it. Not to say that they're not out there or whatever, but I just -- I myself hadn't really seen it. It seemed like a vacuum there. And I woke up one day and reckoned, well, I'd talk about it. Yeah. I got nothing to lose, so that's not good.

WEIR: What is -- what is generally the response? I imagine some people like I, like fans of folk music and protest bands through the years, appreciate it. Have you get any pushback, do you get in these politically charged times?

WELLES: They might push back, I suppose. I don't much look. But the main point is to make a place for people to have a conversation about just what is the crux of the problem. That's -- you're kind of -- you're fostering, you're facilitating a place for people to have a discussion with a tune, you know?

WEIR: I could see faces lighten up as your -- as your lyrics landed in the daytime set earlier today. What is -- what is your writing process, is that you -- you absorb the news and it just comes out or -- or -- can you talk about that?

WELLES: I just -- I'm just always writing. WEIR: Yes.

WELLES: I'm just always writing. So if I get a good rhyme, then that one will be a tune, you know?

WEIR: Yes.

WELLES: Sometimes the rhymes ain't even that great. They still become tunes, you know?

WEIR: Well, "Bugs" is a favorite with my five-year-old son.

WELLES: Yes, I like "Bugs."

WEIR: And I'm coming to Webster Hall to see you. So congrats on your first stadium set.

WELLES: Nice to see you.

WEIR: And this is the beginning of a long, important career, I hope, for you.

WELLES: I appreciate that. I can't wait to see it. Webster Hall will be a lot of fun, so yes.

WEIR: I will see you there. Jesse Welles, everybody, out of Ozark, Arkansas. Just one of an amazing sass. Look at this.

COATES: Wow.

WEIR: There's some real appreciation. There you go. Across the demographics. John, Laura?

COATES: I love it. Everyone is so excited. You never know who you're going to run into when you're with Bill Weir, of course. And we're at Farm Aid 40. And it features some of the biggest stars of America's music industry and all of it, all of it, John, is going for a good, like, a great cause. And for more on this historic festival, we're joined by senior editor for Billboard, Thom Duffy. Good to have you here. This is amazing.

THOM DUFFY, SENIOR EDITOR, BILLBOARD: Hello, guys. Great to have you.

[20:05:01]

COATES: I mean --

BERMAN: There's been some amazing music.

COATES: Yes.

DUFFY: Hey, it's not every day I get to be, you know, second to Tim Walz. I mean --

BERMAN: Well, you see, the governor had to get up so you could sit down. But I have to say that one of the most amazing parts of the night so far for us is we had Dave Matthews sitting right where you were. We had a great conversation with him. But he almost couldn't focus because Billy Strings was on the stage killing it.

DUFFY: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Just killing it.

DUFFY: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Just talk to me about the music, how good it is, and how important it is to have it here.

DUFFY: Well, the wonderful thing is that Willie Nelson has created this inclusive, all-encompassing community around this cause. Since 1985, you go back to the very first Farm Aid, and the bill of artists have been diverse in genre and all for the cause of family farmers. And it's really the message of Farm Aid that there's been an economic consolidation and a corporate consolidation that's affected the farming industry and the food that we eat. And we've seen that happen in other areas, too. And that's really quite remarkable.

COATES: Yes, we keep thinking about the interconnectivity of this. We're talking about farmers. We're talking about the world and what Farm Aid has done culturally, economically for four decades right now. And you -- you've written about the 40 best moments. I love a good countdown, 40 best moments of the last 40 years. Give me some.

DUFFY: Well, I'll tell -- I'll tell you that I was at Live Aid when Bob Dylan made the remark in July of 1985.

BERMAN: You know you --

COATES: Really? I know.

BERMAN: -- look too young for that.

DUFFY: You know, next to Willie, I'm always looking young. But there have been moments on this stage and behind stage, because I always say the people who really know how Farm Aid works show up for the concert early, three days early. There are activist organizations that gather here every year.

And Farm Aid is like a revival meeting for people who care about what we eat, the environment, economic justice, racial justice. It's a lot bigger, really, than Willie and Neil and -- and John had any idea it was going to be in 1985.

BERMAN: You mentioned Bob Dylan, of course. This whole thing was launched because of an offhand remark he made during Live Aid a couple months before. We just learned three days ago, four days ago, that Bob Dylan was going to be part of this show here tonight.

DUFFY: It's a homecoming. It's a homecoming. I got to Minneapolis early enough to go down to see the studio where Bob Dylan, in December of 1974, on a holiday break, decided to re-record "Blood on the Tracks." COATES: What was that like?

DUFFY: Oh, it was just amazing. Just to be in this city where he was a student before he went to Greenwich Village.

BERMAN: We're in -- this is the University of Minnesota. He spent one year here at the University of Minnesota.

DUFFY: Yes.

COATES: What I love, too, is just the range of acts you have here. And people, I mean you have different types of songwriters. Those who are instrumentalists, those who are devoted, all of them, to the cause. But you've got a crowd of people who are all ears. Not only for what they're standing for, what they're saying, but they've been all in for Farm Aid.

DUFFY: Yes, they absolutely have been. There is a real devotion. I've been at Farm Aid many, many, many years. It's remarkable how many people I see, no matter where this festival is taking place, who travel to be here. It's part of a very large community and family that Willie has -- has developed.

BERMAN: I met a guy who'd been at 16 Farm Aids.

COATES: Really?

BERMAN: I also met a couple other people who said they'd seen Willie early in the summer and they haven't heard Willie sound as good in years. He's killing it.

DUFFY: I -- I was just saying that I saw him in July. It was part of the Outlaw Music Festival with Dylan. And my daughter got tickets and I said, I'm going, you know. And he is remarkable. You watch him do a guitar solo on something like "Angels Flying Too Close To The Ground" tonight. He'll just be remarkable.

COATES: Oh, I cannot wait for this.

BERMAN: Thom Duffy --

COATES: Legends are here. And you.

BERMAN: It's great -- it's great to speak with you. Great to meet you.

DUFFY: Wonderful. Wonderful.

BERMAN: Great to share in this really remarkable night.

DUFFY: Delighted that you guys are here.

[20:09:04]

BERMAN: Thanks for everything you do.

All right. In just minutes, country star Margo Price. And later a set list that honestly feels like a dream. I feel so lucky to be here. Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp. So much in store. Stay right here. You're watching Farm Aid, a special CNN event.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this is Minneapolis and Huntington Big Stadium. The setting for songs that speak to the soul of a movement to support America's farmers. We are right in the middle of it and we're about to see something truly special from a special performer. Her latest album, "Hard Headed Woman" blends tried and true themes with vivid lyrics as only she can. I think we're about to hear from Margo Price.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Hey everyone are you ready for some more music. I am Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota. And I -- thank you. And I love Farm Aid. We need you guys now. We need you. Our farmers, our small farmers have had a gut punch, right? Out there in rural America and Farm Aid and all of you stands up for them.

And for -- and for our next artist, Margo Price, this -- this is personal. She is a Midwest farmer's daughter. She grew up in Illinois. They lost their family farm in the 80s and she took that experience and she put it to music. Her songs are about resilience. Her songs are about dignity. Her songs are about coming back from the hardest of times. And she is so good that last week she was a featured artist on Jimmy Kimmel's show.

[20:15:16]

And -- and Farm Aid we want Margo back on Jimmy Kimmel's show. Margo's newest album is "Hard Headed Woman." Being in Washington right now you got to be a hard headed woman. So from one hard headed woman to another, I give you Margo Price.

MARGO PRICE, SINGER-SONGWRITER: What's up Farm Aid?

(MUSIC)

[20:26:28]

PRICE: So happy to be here, the 40th Farm Aid. We're going to a song called "Nowhere Is Where."

(MUSIC)

[20:30:41]

PRICE: Well, I broke a string so I think this is Dave Matthews, guitar. Thank you, Dave. I'm going to do a song. It was written by Waylon Jennings, inspired by Waylon's lawyer slash drug dealer's ex- wife. It's called "Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth, I'm Kissin' You Goodbye."

(MUSIC)

[20:33:44]

COATES: Oh, she is great. What a performance and plenty more Margo Price after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

[20:43:15]

PRICE: We just have a couple more. Thank you Farm Aid.

(MUSIC)

PRICE: We're going to get a couple special guests up here to join me on this last one. Please welcome to the stage, Jesse Welles and Billy Strings. Thank you, brothers. Thank you, brothers. Thank you.

[20:48:35]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, buddy.

(MUSIC)

[20:53:02]

BERMAN: Whoa, Margo Price there singing the Bob Dylan legendary song "Maggie's Farm," broken string and all. What a performance. And there's still so much more to come. Neil Young, Dave Matthews, the great Willie Nelson. But first, we're going to speak with the megastar who just performed. We're going to speak with Margo Price. So much more to come. This is CNN Farm Aid at 40.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: What a star studded night here in Minneapolis. And it's all for such a wonderful cause, helping America's hardworking farmers and their families. Farm Aid board member Margo Price just wrapped up her set and she's now talking with CNN's Bill Weir backstage. Hey, Bill.

WEIR: Well, John, any music fan worth their salt knows that "Maggie's Farm" was a song Dylan went electric with and then played at Farm Aid 1 back in '85. So to see a Midwest farmer's daughter. The title of her first album, do it -- it only -- it only made so much sense, especially with Jesse Welles and Billy Strings there. Congratulations on an amazing set.

PRICE: Thank you so much. It's full circle moment to be here for sure.

WEIR: It's very shrewd, you know, choice. I love the Waylon cover and and the Woody Guthrie tune as well. You grew up on a farm and you know firsthand what some of these folks are going through. Tell me about that.

PRICE: Absolutely. My parents lost their farm in 1985 in Illinois, the year of the first Farm Aid and I saw how that affected my family and always wanted to be able to help family farmers and -- and give back. And being on the board alongside Willie Nelson and Neil Young is just beyond my wildest dreams. I'm just so grateful to sit next to them and carry on the tradition.

WEIR: How did it affect your family?

PRICE: I mean, you know, none of them had college degrees. Everybody was just kind of, you know, it was a farm that had been passed down generation to generation. And so, yes, my dad went to work in a prison and -- and, you know, kept food on the table and worked very hard to do that, but it just -- it just changed our way of life. And, yes, it's been challenging to see that the farm crisis of the 1980s has really never ended.

WEIR: Right. And you've got the added headaches of immigration raids and climate change and these other major stressors. We were talking with some of the artists earlier who said, we wish that we didn't have to do this anymore. We wish we had figured this out in the 80s. What gives you hope about the future of American farms?

PRICE: You know, I think there is so many people coming into farming right now that it's just. It's a more diverse landscape than it used to be. You know, even the -- the financial aid and the government assistance that comes in, oftentimes it has only supported white male farmers.

[20:59:50]

And now, especially in Farm Aid, we try to really give the money, give the grants to all sorts of different people. Everybody should be able to farm if that's their calling. And so I think that's what gives me hope is just seeing new young people coming in and also being very creative about how they're solving these problems with climate change.