On the Ground at the Power to the People Festival, a Day of Protest Music and Solidarity
Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello convened the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Jack Black and more musicians to channel protest through song.
On October 3, 2026, the Power to the People Festival took place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, featuring a lineup of notable artists as it concluded with Bruce Springsteen's performance. Tom Morello, the festival's organizer and former Rage Against the Machine guitarist, has been organizing benefit shows since before Rage Against the Machine achieved stardom, with proceeds going to homeless shelters and loud guitars aimed at the establishment.
Last year, while serving as the musical director for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's farewell concert, Morello conceived the idea of a multigenerational, multigenre festival centered around the notion that music can be an act of resistance, targeting Donald Trump and the forces he unleashed.
The festival came three weeks before the midterm elections, according to Morello, who stated that the election's outcome on those powers would be decided. In a world marked by hatred and division, the festival promoted love and solidarity, celebrating those who stood up against injustice. It also aimed to provide artists the freedom to play and say what they wanted, in a time when many were either censored or facing cancellation.
The festival featured an impressive lineup, including Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Jack Black and the Dropkick Murphys, Cypress Hill, Nathaniel Rateliff, Killer Mike, Serj Tankian, Stephen Stills, Dave Matthews, and the Foo Fighters. Headlining the event was Bruce Springsteen, who had just finished a 20-show tour rebuking Trump, MAGA, and authoritarian currents threatening the American experiment.
In her speech, Joan Baez, a veteran protest singer, emphasized the festival's importance: "You are the antidote in a world of cruelty and bullying." As the night progressed, the stage was filled with artists from various generations and genres, all united in their passion for music and social change. The festival's energy reflected a rebellious spirit and a sense of unity, with artists and fans alike feeling the weight of a world in need of hope and solidarity.
Written by urgent.news from Time's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
