Geographically speaking, Farm Aid 2008 probably came as close as logistically possible to the original roots of American agriculture without actually holding the show on Plymouth Rock.

This year's crop of musicians and their fans reached out in support of America's farmers a scant 28 miles from where Pilgrims learned to farm from Native Americans who refused to stand by and watch our earliest immigrants perish for lack of food.

In that respect, Farm Aid truly came full circle this year. And, from a musical perspective, the 2008 show also came full circle uniting its founding fathers— Willie Nelson [ tickets ], John Mellencamp [ tickets ] and Neil Young [ tickets ]—on the same stage as Dave Matthews [ tickets ], who joined the Farm Aid board in 2001.

While those four headliners obviously brought out the majority of fans, it was the early birds who were privileged to reap the full bounty of musical talent pouring forth from the Farm Aid cornucopia.

The 2008 bill featured a spectacular lineup that kicked off just after noon with Willie Nelson accompanying Nation Beat, an intriguing outfit crossing Brazilian and American folk and country influences. Their sweet rendition of Willie’s "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and a high-octane, Tex-Mex take on "I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry" were exciting diversions for those heading in for the long day of music ahead.
Danielle Evin followed, making her third return to Farm Aid. Evan, who also blogs on the Huffington Post, rocked the first few pockets of attendees like it was a sold-out house, reminding me of a young Melissa Etheridge wielding a mandolin for the duration of her all-too-brief set.

The Elms [ tickets ] brought their own brand of alt-country, with guitarist Thomas Daugherty shredding some devastating leads, particularly on "Bring Me Your Tea." Jesse Lenat, a farmer's son who opened last year's show in New York, was joined by his brother David, and the two kicke out a few samples of their unique folk and psychobilly.

One Flew South [ tickets ] proved they are the next generation's Crosby, Stills and Nash with the tightest, soaring, three-part harmonies since that other trio got "scared s---less" at Woodstock back in the day.

The stripped-down country act has an interesting history, having evolved after Royal Reed and Chris Roberts met in the late 1990s while starring in a production of the Broadway musical "The Civil War," before recruiting Grammy Award-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon to round out this highly appealing trio.

Will Dailey [ tickets ] was the first of several singing storytellers on the Farm Aid stage, shining with material from his upcoming release "Back Flipping Forward."

Then, Steve Earle [ tickets ] and Arlo Guthrie [ tickets ] each showcased their own more established storytelling styles. Before banging out 'Copperhead Road,' Earle made a point of reminding urban concertgoers that today in New York City, he is able to access more farm fresh food than when he was a youngster growing up in the Midwest.

Carrying on a family tradition, Guthrie—backed by his son and grandson—did a nice job on Steve Goodman's 'City of New Orleans.' He also proved his political wit is still razor sharp by wrapping up the set with "I'm Changing My Name to Fanny Mae," reworking the original lyrics by Tom Paxton.

Speaking of family traditions: Jakob Dylan looked the spitting image of his father, reminding the crowd that he accompanied Bob to the very first Farm Aid concert in 1985. The dapper, younger Dylan, looking a bit out of place in a slick black suit, crooned a half-dozen tunes backed by the wonderfully understated Gold Mountain Rebels.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals got a chance to play to an audience worthy of their collective talents. Coming from the same Vermont countryside as many of the farming activists who populated the "Barn Yard," a communal information encampment beside the stage area, Potter not only prettied-up the main stage, but added some home-grown intelligence to a farm-information panel later in the day.

The Nocturnals revved-up the house with "Nothing But The Water," a secret weapon of a tune they normally reserve for their encore that features a killer a cappella opening and ends with a full-band drum solo, gathering all four members around the kit flailing away.

Most of the remaining empty seats quickly filled up around 5 p.m. as Farm Aid's elder statesman, Jerry Lee Lewis, was escorted to the stage. Interestingly, Lewis started off with a nod to another one of his contemporaries, Chuck Berry, getting everyone up and dancing to "Roll Over Beethovan." After all these years, The Killer proved he could still make it happen, pounding the keys through Hank Williams "You Win Again," "Good Rockin Tonight," and closing with his own timeless classics "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire."

Chrissie Hynde reminded the Farm Aid fans that she is a die-hard vegan, donning a "Tax Meat," t-shirt and a swagger she perfected over her many years fronting the Pretenders. "Talk of the Town" and "Back on the Chain Gang" were just a couple of the energetic turns powered by Martin Chambers' driving drumbeats.

Kenny Chesney [ tickets ] represented the top echelon of contemporary country stars, and was clearly one of the 2008 Farm Aid performers many of the ladies came out to see. He and his backing band, like many of the performers, eschewed all the trappings of a full headline show, going with an "unplugged" format of acoustic guitars, violin and harmonica.

Chesney played much of his set with one backing bandmate who needed no introduction, and Willie Nelson looked like he had a grand old time sitting in with this young'un, contributing some fine lead guitar to several of Chesney's hits.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds deserved to share the billing, complimenting each other so perfectly that it almost made me forget Matthews has another band. While Dave wailed away, chopping at his rhythm and chords on "Stay or Leave," Reynolds filled the spaces between with astounding lead and slide work that brought the audience to its feet for the entire set.

Even those with only a passing familiarity with Dave Matthews had to recognize a couple of his more popular numbers: "Where are You Going," and a peppy solo take on "Ants Marching."

John Mellencamp followed with a wonderful collection of his greatest hits, opening with a chugging, two-step take on "Pink Houses." He followed on solo guitar with a heart-wrenching version of "Minutes to Memories," and "Small Town." The band returned to a lovely fiddle-and-accordion interlude that led into a powerful version of "Rain on the Scarecrow" before Mellencamp bowed with "The Authority Song."

Neil Young mixed acoustic and electric material admirably, going from "Powderfinger" to "Everybody Knows this Is Nowhere" to "Old Man" and a weepy "Unknown Legend." Young's set was punctuated by a breathtaking cover of The Beatles "A Day in the Life," which ended because it had to; Young sustained that famous last note by proceeding to rip every string from his well-worn Les Paul, leaving it on stage to feed back as the band headed for the wings.

As is the case with every Farm Aid show, Willie Nelson was the worthy closer, holding on to most of the 20,000 attendees through a set that included "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys," "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" and "Whiskey River."

It's hard to imagine where Farm Aid will end up next year, but the message from virtually every performer made it clear that this musical movement on behalf of America's food-producing family farmers must not end.

[Visit the Farm Aid website to check out some of this year's performances, to get more information about the organization, or to make a donation to the cause.]