Aaron Lee Tasjan, Katie Pruitt, Many More Light Up East Park

It would’ve been hard to ask for better weather over Memorial Day weekend. Saturday, crowds took advantage, rolling into East Nashville’s East Park for the second annual Nashville Helping Nashville benefit concert. The show doubled as both a fundraiser for Music Venue Alliance Nashville, a group organized by and intended to support independent music venues in Music City, as well as a talent-packed celebration of Neil Young’s pivotal album Harvest, recorded in Nashville and released in 1972.

As the sun set on Saturday, Metro Councilmembers Jeff Syracuse and Joy Styles — who have been vocal about preserving the independent venue ecosystem in Nashville and who are helping to organize Mayor John Cooper’s Office of Music, Film and Entertainment — spoke onstage and were recognized for their work on behalf of indie venues. Earlier in the week, the mayor issued a proclamation marking the week before Memorial Day as Music Venue Independence Week in Nashville. The Metro Council also recently approved funding for a study to determine what support venues need. The efforts come as the long-running iteration of the Mercy Lounge venue complex has closed, 3rd and Lindsley is planning a move to avoid being pushed out by development, and Exit/In has put all booking after Thanksgiving on hold citing uncertainty about the renewal of its lease.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, an array of local bands took the stage, including pop ’n’ rock outfit Creature Comfort and blues-rockers Dee Oh Gee. Following words from Syracuse and Styles, a parade of outstanding Nashville musicians performed classics from Harvest and throughout Young’s continually expanding catalog. Above, check out a selection of freelance photog Claire Steele’s pics of guests, including Aaron Lee Tasjan, Katie Pruitt, Allen Thompson, Nicki Bluhm and Jon Latham (who was accompanied on “After the Gold Rush” by Kristin Englenz on French horn).

Sadly, there’s one would-be performer you won’t see in the slideshow. The great Lucinda Williams had to drop from the bill just before the show, thanks to what a note describes as her team’s “first brush with COVID.” The note goes on to say that Williams’ appearance is postponed, not canceled, “because we will absolutely make good at a time in the near future when we can all be safer.”