Folk Icon, 79, Moves Fans to Tears Over Modern Protest Song at 40th Farm Aid: ‘I Cried This Entire Set’

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This folk-rock legend proves protest songs are timeless, debuting “Big Crime” at Farm Aid’s 40th anniversary show.

It’s been said often over the years that we have been living in “unprecedented times,” but truly I am not sure many other decades have held a candle to the last 10 years in the United States of America. Which is why folk icon and protest anthem veteran Neil Young adding a new protest song to his catalog at the age of 79 is a true testament to the times once again a-changing.

Young performed “Big Crime” on September 20, 2025, at the 40th anniversary show of Farm Aid, the incredible event he helped form alongside John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson.

The song doesn’t address any president’s names, sitting or otherwise, but many have concluded that Young is directly talking about President Trump with striking lyrics such as: “No more great again / Got big crime in DC at the White House / Don’t need no fascist rules / Don’t want no fascist schools / Don’t want soldiers walking on our streets / Got big crime in DC at the White House.”

Fans were beyond moved to see the performance both live and online.

“I cried this entire set,” confessed one Farm Aid attendee. “The fact that Neil is writing protest songs in my lifetime is disturbing and inspiring.”

“People went nuts when he played this song. It’s obviously a popular message! Neil rocks,” added another.

“Keep on rocking in a free world! Neil is always a class act,” noted one enthusiastic fan.

“My kid and I couldn’t speak. It was spectacular,” noted another.

Though it is not a direct message to President Trump in the lyrics, Young has not been shy about his criticisms of the current leader. In May, when President Trump criticized the likes of both Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, Rolling Stone reported that Young took to his website to voice his frustrations.

“Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin’ kids in Gaza,” Young wrote on Neil Young Archives. “That’s your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That’s your problem Trump. STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel.”

Neil Young’s Most Political Songs:

Of course, since his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young days, the prolific rocker has never been silent about his criticisms of politics and policy. The group famously penned Ohio in 1970 about the Kent State shootings, which would go on to be one of the group’s most famous protest songs. In the same year, Southern Man was written as a critique of slavery and racism’s enduring impact on the South. In 2006, he wrote a handful of anti-war songs including the not-so-subtle Let’s Impeach the President as an anti-George Bush anthem and “Lookin’ for a Leader,” which he revived in 2020 with updated Trump-era lyrics that called for political change in America.

Of course, he also has a litany of environment- and sustainability-focused songs he penned in the ’70s, ’90s, and early 2000s, and tackled corporate greed in much of his ’80s work.

“I’m doing this because I believe I can use my craft to make a difference,” Young once said in an interview with Dan Rather. “I can share a message, raise awareness about issues that exist, and prove that they truly exist—while also earning recognition and awards for the work.”

While every decade seemingly brings us something new for Young to write about, his rebellious spirit has yet to be squashed.

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