Bruce Springsteen took the stage solo, performing his politically charged track "Streets Of Minneapolis," before calling Joan Baez up to duet on Bob Dylan's "Chimes Of Freedom." Tom Morello then joined in, and the trio tore through The Clash's "Clampdown" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Next came Dave Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff, who teamed up for Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." Dave Grohl followed with his take on Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World." The night closed out with everyone joining together for Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and John Lennon's "Power to the People"—the very song that gave the festival its name.
This marked the first-ever Power To The People festival from Tom Morello, held last Saturday (October 3) at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The Rage Against The Machine guitarist billed the event as "a day about peace, love, justice, and music." The lineup was announced back in May and included, alongside Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Serj Tankian, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Cypress Hill, and Killer Mike. A second wave of additions was revealed last month, bringing in Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Anthrax's Scott Ian.
One of the night's most electric moments came courtesy of Jack Black, who made two separate appearances. During the day set, he joined Morello's son Roman, Scott Ian's son Revel, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler for a cover of "War Pigs." Later, he returned to the stage, this time flanked by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Cypress Hill, Tom Morello, Public Enemy's Chuck D, and Scott Ian, for a group rendition of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."
Foo Fighters' full set spanned "Times Like These," "All My Life," "The Pretender," "My Hero," "Best of You," and "Everlong," along with a cover of "Young Man Blues," famously associated with The Who. Frontman Dave Grohl later teamed up with Morello for a cover of KISS's "Rock and Roll All Nite," and took a moment onstage to reminisce about his past work on John Kerry's campaign. He also greeted a "new friend, Jack" in the crowd—according to Consequence, the person in question was believed to be former U.S. Assistant Attorney General and Special Counsel Jack Smith.
In a statement, Morello said: "Power To The People Fest is about freedom, justice, equality, and rock 'n' roll—about the power that everyday people have when they come together through music, art, community, and action. We're honored to bring this lineup to the DC area for a day filled with activism, creativity, and hope." A portion of ticket sales, along with the full net proceeds from VIP tickets, were donated to VoteRiders, which advocates for voter-ID-friendly policies, and HeadCount, which helps register voters.
Ahead of the festival, Morello had just released his new solo album, "Everyone Gets Everything They Want," which features the track "Unconquered" in collaboration with Kneecap. He previously explained the origins of this partnership: "I've been a fan of Kneecap since they debuted, saw the Kneecap movie before any of the political controversy, and thought the band was fucking great. I'm named after my Irish great-grandfather Thomas Fitzgerald, so Irish rebel blood runs through me too. The fact that they stand fearlessly with the oppressed people of the world is something I feel a real connection to." Morello also played guitar earlier this year on Springsteen's "Land Of Hope And Dreams" U.S. tour, making this festival collaboration an extension of the two artists' onstage camaraderie throughout 2025.
