Neil Young, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp Farm Aid's 25th annual concert, which drew 35,000 to Milwaukee's Miller Park.

Between songs Neil Young blasted factory farms, estimating that over the last quarter-century hundreds of thousands of family farms have been displaced or overrun by factories.

He said, "We're all hopeful. That's why we're here. You can never give up. Never. Never. Never. So every year I get a chance to rant about it."

Young ended his set with the Seventies gem, "Homegrown," joined by Farm Aid board members Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp, as well as Farm Aid's president, Willie Nelson.

Capping off the night was Steven Tyler joining Willie Nelson on "One Time Too Many" and "Once is Enough."

The Farm Aid foursome — Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews — were joined by twelve other acts on Saturday, including Nelson's son Lukas, who ran around the stage barefoot leading his band, the Promise of the Real.  Band of Horses followed with tunes from their latest, Infinite Arms.

Many artists performed stripped-down sets. Country hellraiser Jamey Johnson played the classic "I Saw the Light" alone with an acoustic. 

Kenny Chesney, with a two-piece band, played acoustic versions of his arena-style hits. And the crowed joined in, singing along to tunes like "Beer in Mexico" and "Summertime."

Jeff Tweedy hit the stage with an acoustic guitar and harmonica rack, performing "Out of Tune," "I'll Go" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You," which he dedicated to his wife, Sue Miller.

Dave Matthews was joined by guitarist Tim Reynold for his half-hour set, culled mostly from his 2003 solo album, Some Devil, but featuring some Dave Matthews Band jams like "Don't Drink the Water." Willie Nelson also sat in with them for a haunting "Gravedigger."

Norah Jones, the only female on the bill, alternated between guitar and piano, borrowing Young's upright. Jones, a bassist, and singer-strummer Sasha Dobson performed "Come Away With Me," Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart" (the lyrics for which were written by Hank Williams).

Midway through Jones’ set, Willie Nelson pulled up to the stage in a golf cart to duet with her on "Lonestar."