Bob Dylan Joins Farm Aid 40 as Festival Kicks Off in Minneapolis After Strike Settlement

Bob Dylan Joins Farm Aid 40 as Festival Kicks Off in Minneapolis After Strike Settlement

By MinneapoliMedia Staff — September 20, 2025

Farm Aid 40 is underway today at Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, after a tentative labor agreement ensured the iconic festival could proceed as scheduled.

The deal, reached late last week, resolved a strike that had threatened to halt the event. Farm Aid’s production crew — a unionized group — had pledged not to cross picket lines in solidarity with striking U of M workers. Members of Teamsters Local 320, representing 1,400 custodial, food service, and maintenance employees, went on strike earlier in the week after contract talks stalled. The tentative agreement, which provides wage adjustments aimed at parity with other university employee groups, allows today’s milestone concert to move forward.

Dylan’s Homecoming

The festival carries added significance with Bob Dylan’s late-breaking addition to the lineup, marking his first concert in Minneapolis in more than a decade.

• A Minnesota Return: Born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing, Dylan briefly attended the University of Minnesota, living just blocks from today’s venue. He also once co-owned the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.
• First Minneapolis Show Since 2014: Dylan last performed in the city during a three-night residency at the Orpheum Theatre in November 2014. He has since played in St. Paul (2017) and in Mankato earlier this year, but today’s show marks his Minneapolis return.
• Farm Aid Origins: Dylan’s comment at the 1985 Live Aid concert — suggesting a portion of proceeds go to struggling U.S. farmers — directly inspired Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp to launch Farm Aid. Dylan performed at the first two concerts and made a surprise appearance at the 2023 festival. His presence today underscores the full-circle legacy of the movement he helped ignite.

Star-Packed Lineup and Legacy

Dylan joins Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), and Margo Price, alongside Kenny Chesney, Billy Strings, Wynonna Judd, and Minnesota’s own Trampled by Turtles.

Since its founding in 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $78 million to support family farmers, promote sustainable agriculture, and strengthen rural communities. The annual benefit continues to serve as both a fundraising powerhouse and a cultural institution, bringing together legendary performers in solidarity with America’s farmers.

With the labor dispute settled and Dylan’s homecoming onstage, Farm Aid 40 today delivers both music and meaning — a celebration rooted in resilience, unity, and the enduring bond between artists and family farmers.

For ticket information, schedules, and streaming details, visit farmaid.org.

MinneapoliMedia