Bob Dylan joins lineup of Minneapolis’ Farm Aid 40, the festival he inspired

Minnesota music icon Bob Dylan will take the stage on Saturday at Minneapolis’ Huntington Bank Stadium for the 40th year of Farm Aid, the festival he helped inspire.

Dylan, 84, joins a star-studded lineup that includes Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Neil Young, Kenny Chesney, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Steve Earle, Waxahatchee and many more.

Festival officials say it was Dylan’s plea to help farmers during his performance at 1985’s historic Live Aid benefit concert that inspired Nelson, 92, to launch Farm Aid that same year.

Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth and raised in Hibbing. He studied for a year at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he entrenched himself in folk music.

He started performing at a Dinkytown coffee shop and embraced his new moniker before moving to New York City in 1961, at age 20.

Labor dispute jeopardized festival

Farm Aid 40 almost didn’t happen, at least at Huntington Bank Stadium, due to the ongoing conflict between the University of Minnesota and its striking Teamster service employees. Farm Aid’s production crew is unionized and refused to cross any picket lines.

On Friday, Teamsters Local 320 announced it had reached a tentative agreement with the university. That same day, Nelson said he spoke with Gov. Tim Walz, adding he was “grateful that he understands what’s at stake for Farm Aid.”

“We both know that, ultimately, it’s up to the University to do the right thing, and soon, so that Farm Aid 40 can go forward,” Nelson said.

First held on the campus of the University of Illinois, Farm Aid has raised more than $85 million for America’s farmers.

A pre-festival event, Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Takeover, is set for Thursday night at Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. The event honors the legacy of diverse artists and farmers. 

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the event starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $33.