Entertainment
Willie Nelson’s 40th Anniversary Farm Aid Challenges Corporate Power in America: ‘They Need to Stand Up and Pay a Conscience Tax!’ Says Neil Young
Farm Aid 40, held Saturday (Sept. 20) in Minneapolis and headlined by founding musicians Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, is expected to be the most successful benefit for family farmers by the organization in many years, as sales of 36,232 tickets at Huntington Bank Stadium are added to contributions solicited on air during a five-plus-hour broadcast of the event on CNN.
But for Neil Young, it won’t be enough.
“It’s one of the highlights of my life to have been part of this,” said Young, flanked by Nelson and Mellencamp, and joined by fellow Farm Aid board members Dave Matthews and Margo Price, at Farm Aid’s morning press conference.
“That said, there’s one thing that really strikes me about this day. And what I would like to say is, we need money so we can give it to the farmers and support the farmers. And we need to get it from these big corporations and billionaires that have taken all the farmers’ land or a great portion of it.”
“We want donations from them,” said Young. “Huge donations to Farm Aid. We don’t want to give them favors. They bought hundreds and thousands of acres of farmland in this country as investments. And they’re living the good life. They need to stand up and pay a conscience tax to the farmers of America!”
The 40th anniversary of Farm Aid and its mission — to build and strengthen a family farm-centered agricultural system in America that values family farmers, good food, soil, water, climate and strong communities — was celebrated Saturday with more than 12 hours of music.
In addition to Farm Aid’s board members, the remarkable bill included: Bob Dylan, Kenny Chesney, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Trampled by Turtles, Wynonna Judd, Steve Earle, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and the Wisdom Indian Dancers.
When Willie Nelson launched Farm Aid in 1985, amid an economic crisis that was forcing family farms into bankruptcy, the organization recognized that the nation’s agriculture system was suffering from the consolidation of economic power and rise of corporate control. Forty years on, the same corporate forces affect almost every aspect of American life, from health care to housing to its news media.
Farmers, growing the nation’s food, saw the storm clouds first.
“We were kids when we started this thing,” said Mellencamp at the press conference. “We were young kids and we had ideals. We were so naive that we thought we would do one show and they’d pay attention to us.”
“Willie and I went to Washington, in front of the Senate subcommittee on farming. Willie talked and I talked and some f—ing senator stood up and goes, ‘Where’s your guys’ guitars?’ I looked at Willie and I said, ‘Let’s get the hell outta here.'”
The tone in Washington, D.C., has hardly improved over Farm Aid’s 40 years. It weighed on Margo Price’s mind before her performance.
“It’s so important for us to come together, right now, in America,” she said. “We’re being divided. We’re being distracted. Our voices are being silenced. And apathy isn’t it. They want us to be overwhelmed. They want us to be fighting with each other so we don’t realize that it’s the people in power that are making all of these things terrible. We have to use our voice while we still have it. Shared struggle builds solidarity and hope is an act of resistance. Keep fighting.”
“Shared struggle” is the perfect way to describe Farm Aid’s forty years of activism to support family farmers. With fans traveling from cities or farms, red states or blue states, Farm Aid on Saturday night in Minneapolis may well have been the most politically diverse — yet unified — place in America.
Here are best things we saw and heard at Farm Aid 40:
Entertainment
‘Saturday Night Live UK’: Where to Watch the British Version of the Sketch Comedy Show Online for Free
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
“Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!” After more than 50 seasons of TV, Saturday Night Live expands outside of the United States to England with Saturday Night Live UK. The new sketch comedy show has tapped Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan to host, while English rock band Wolf Alice is set to perform as musical guest.
Although SNL UK broadcasts live on Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. GMT on British broadcaster Sky UK, it drops in the United States the following day on Sunday, March 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Peacock.
Peacock
Want to watch SNL UK online for free? Your easiest bet is to sign up a 30-day free trial to Walmart+, which features access to Peacock as one of its member’s perks, to stream the sketch comedy show online without needing a pay for a subscription service. Learn more about Walmart+ here.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to Peacock directly, which is the official NBCUniversal streamer, starting at $10.99 per month. Peacock gives you access to NBC, Bravo, USA Network, CNBC, NBC Sports and Peacock Originals, like SNL UK.
Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan has taken a few years away from starring on the big screen with his last appearance in A Haunting in Venice in 2023. However, he’s due to star in Michael Cera’s feature film directorial debut Love Is Not the Answer later in 2026 or 2027.
As for Wolf Alice, the band is coming off the release of their album The Clearing in August 2025, while they are set to tour the world starting at the Pepsi Center in Mexico City, Mexico on Wednesday, May 20.
SNL UK features a cast of British comedy actors and comedians, including:
- Hammed Animashaun
- Ayoade Bamgboye
- Larry Dean
- Celeste Dring
- George Fouracres
- Ania Magliano
- Annabel Marlow
- Al Nash
- Jack Shep
- Emma Sidi
- Paddy Young
In the meantime, watch a promo reel for this weekend’s episode below:
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Entertainment
Bad Bunny’s Adidas Collaborations Sell Out in Minutes: Here’s How to Get His Latest Sneaker Drop Online
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Bad Bunny’s new Adidas sneaker collaboration is one fans have been itching for.
The market for the “NUEVAYoL” singer’s footwear collaboration is insane, with his past Adidas silhouettes selling out mere minutes post-release. We’re willing to bet that this new BADBO 1.0 model is going to be a hit as well, because it expands upon his collaborative line by introducing a versatile colorway not previously seen before. The shoe retails for $160 and dropped Saturday (March 28). It is available to shop on the Adidas website now.
Like his first Adidas BADBO 1.0, this style is chunky and high-top-esque. Departing from the monochrome colorscheme, this shoe comes in black and beige, a stylish and wearable option with pops of blue throughout. The shoe features textural suede paneling, an EVA midsole that makes the soles flexible and cushioned, and a unique translucent rubber outsole.
Bad Bunny x Adidas BADBO 1.0
A new Adidas footwear collaboration with Bad Bunny. The style features suede panelling and a black, white and taupe color scheme.
Harkening back to the musician’s Puerto Rican roots is the BadBo signature logo — a star affixed to each heel — drawing direct inspiration from the Puerto Rican flag. According to Adidas, the design choice “symbolizes origin, joy and the limitless possibilities that come from staying true to where you’re from.”
Along with the shoe drop, Adidas and Bad Bunny also collaborated on an accompanying BadBo apparel capsule that includes pieces such as track jackets, sweatshirts, sweatsuits, hats and more, all inspired by Benito’s personal style. Our favorite has to be the comfy sweatsuit, which offers the perfect mix of style and function. Like the shoes, the apparel collection went live on March 28.
Bad Bunny Heavy Crew Neck & Hooded Balaclava Sweatshirt
This is a gray crew neck sweatshirt with Adidas’ three-striped detailing throughout. The hoodie has a unique handkerchief construction on the front.
Bad Bunny Tapered Heavy Sweat Pant
These are gray slouchy sweatpants with Adidas’ iconic three stripes on the sides. The pants have a drawstring closure and a comfy composition.
The first iteration of the Adidas BadBo 1.0, a cream color scheme with pops of blue, sold out in the blink of an eye. Resellers on Farfetch, Stadium Goods, Fight Club and Goat have the shoe marked up for up to $230, a hefty jump in price from its original listing of $160. Bad Bunny wore these shoes during his 2026 Super Bowl performance, reigniting the hype around the style.
The duo first partnered up in March 2021 with an inaugural launch of The First Cafe, a coffee-inspired Adidas Forum Buckle Low. Since then, the two have come together on numerous occasions to give fans and followers styles all inspired by Bad Bunny’s style, music and swagger, including the Adidas AdiRacer GT, Adidas Forum Powerphase and, our personal favorite, the Adidas Gazelle Indoor.
Bad Bunny Crew Sock 3-Pack
This is a pack of three Bad Bunny x Adidas crew socks in white. The socks have blue stitching that is reminiscent of the same detailing on the musician’s shoes.
Entertainment
Paul McCartney’s Fonda Setlist: Every Song From the First Night of His Two-Night Hollywood Stand
Friday night (March 27) may have officially been billed as Paul McCartney Rocks the Fonda!, but it could have just as easily been called Paul McCartney Makes Everything Better!
Even if it was just for a little while (one hour and 40 minutes to be exact), it felt like the former Beatle made all the world’s troubles disappear within the tiny confines of the Fonda, where he is playing two nights to celebrate the 100th birthday of the 1,100-capacity Hollywood club (the series concluded March 28).
The set was a truncated version of the 2025 Got Back tour, even down to the song order, slimmed down from 33 songs to a tight 21.
McCartney, dressed in a casual black suit with a vest, took the stage at 8:30 p.m., looking delighted to be back on stage even though it had only been four months since the North American tour ended. What followed was a trip back in time, with the spry McCartney serving as the congenial master of ceremonies, surrounded by elite musicians who have now played with him longer than his bandmates in either The Beatles or Wings: keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, lead guitarist Rusty Anderson, drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and guitarist/bassist Brian Ray. They are a ridiculously tight unit, but more than anything they are a fun, infectiously exuberant one.
As McCartney, 83, touched on almost every facet of his musical career, he seemingly delighted in playing such a small gig, joking it was “good to see the whites of your eyes” to the audience. He convivially bantered with the first few rows, including giving a shoutout to fan attending his 146th show, and good-naturedly shut down a loud balcony attendee getting a little too boisterous. He was loose throughout the show, breaking into short stories (including a humorous Tony Bennett anecdote) and just generally seeming to enjoy the audience as much as they enjoyed him.
But the focus was on the music, and the music soared throughout much of the night. McCartney’s band may be a five piece (with the occasional welcome addition of the three-piece Hot City Horns), but they sound fuller than a configuration at least twice that size, especially when they are locked into a solid, propulsive groove on such songs as “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” “Lady Madonna” and “Get Back.”
On Thursday (March 28), McCartney released a new song, the tenderly nostalgic “Days We Left Behind,” which is featured on his forthcoming 18th solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane — but the tune went left undone at the show, with McCartney saying they were still learning how to play it. Instead, he opted to play two songs from solo albums not featured during the Got Back tour and ones that are seldom trotted out: “Every Night” and “Flaming Pie.”
The no-phones policy and no-frills production (there was no projection of any kind, just a few overhead lighting trusses) allowed the audience to be as in the moment as the band and a communal feeling of peace and joy felt like it spread from the stage all the way through the rear of the balcony, especially on late-show singalongs/anthems “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude.”
McCartney and band returned for his standard encore, closing with Abbey Road’s monumental medley of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.” The words are so familiar now, but still ring true like a beautiful benediction, as he sent the audience out into the night with “the love you take is equal to the love you make” echoing in their ears.
Below are all the songs McCartney performed on the first night of his two-night Fonda stand.
‘Saturday Night Live UK’: Where to Watch the British Version of the Sketch Comedy Show Online for Free
Bad Bunny’s Adidas Collaborations Sell Out in Minutes: Here’s How to Get His Latest Sneaker Drop Online
Paul McCartney’s Fonda Setlist: Every Song From the First Night of His Two-Night Hollywood Stand
SEND IN THE TROOPS! At Least 5 Dead, 10 Wounded So Far in Chicago Weekend Shootings
How I Paid Off My Mortgage 10 Years Early On A Teacher’s Salary
Black Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle
-
Politics7 months agoSEND IN THE TROOPS! At Least 5 Dead, 10 Wounded So Far in Chicago Weekend Shootings
-
Business6 months ago
How I Paid Off My Mortgage 10 Years Early On A Teacher’s Salary
-
Politics6 months agoBlack Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle
-
Tech7 months agoGet a lifetime subscription to the “ChatGPT for investors” for under $60
-
Tech6 months agoReview: The Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is the first wet/dry vacuum I liked
-
Business7 months ago
25 Low-Effort Side Hustles You Can Start This Weekend
-
Business7 months ago
9 Ways to Command a Six-Figure Salary Without a Bachelor’s
-
Entertainment6 months agoFat Joe Recalls Bruno Mars Snapping on Him Over Question About Puerto Rican Roots: ‘Broke My Heart’