Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, and Macklemore headlined the «Power To The People» music festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, an event that paired major musical acts with a network of Democratic-aligned nonprofits, voter registration drives, and activist organizing ahead of the midterm elections.
The festival, held outside Washington, D.C., featured a «Freedom Village» on its grounds with organizations including Indivisible, Third Act, and the ACLU — groups that have helped coordinate the «No Kings,» «Tesla Takedown,» and «Hands Off» protests against President Donald Trump over the past two years. Organizers did not respond to a request for comment.
The event's official website described its mission as activating «the power everyday human beings have» to shape the world «on, and beyond, Election Day.» The festival combined live performances with voter registration, charitable donations, and activist organizing, offering participating groups a platform to convert fans' enthusiasm for music into political engagement and votes.
The opening act, a hip-hop group called The Neighborhood Kids, launched the festival with Macklemore's protest anthem, chanting «Free, free Palestine!» and declaring opposition to «the funding of genocide» and calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement a «terrorist organization.» The group dedicated its performance to «the martyrs» and criticized «Western imperialism.»
Festival organizer Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, opened the concert after the hip-hop group and criticized «dictators» and «oligarchs,» terms that protesters have used for nearly two years of demonstrations against Trump. Morello has previously described socialism as a «necessity.»
The festival's fundraising arm, the «Power To The People Festival Fund,» is identified as a fiscally sponsored project of Catalyst Philanthropy Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2024 in Nashville with $6.5 million in annual revenue, according to its latest tax filing. Proceeds from the festival go to Head Count Inc., a New York City-based nonprofit with about $14 million in revenues that helps fans register to vote, and VoteRiders, a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) with $7.8 million in revenues, based on its last tax filing.
The festival's «community partners» include Ben & Jerry's, whose co-founder Ben Cohen has been a guest at the wedding of communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham and Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink. Another partner is Red Emma's, a Baltimore bookstore whose website features a «Marxism, Socialism & Communism» tab selling titles including «Teachings of Karl Marx» by Vladimir Lenin, «Black Marxism,» and «Flowers for Marx.»
Many performers and organizers have documented histories of campaigning for Democrats and far-left activism. Springsteen endorsed the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024, declaring support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and calling Trump «the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.» He previously performed at a «No Kings» protest at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul and headlined a «No Kings» event at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Dave Matthews participated in the 2020 «I Will Vote» concert, which his official website promoted as supporting Biden, Harris, and Democrats down the ballot. He earlier backed socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, writing that Sanders «represents what I want from my government.»
Festival DJ Shepard Fairey created the iconic Obama «Hope» poster and the «Forward» image supporting Harris in 2024. Fairey wrote on his website that he believed Harris and Walz were «our best chance to move forward,» and offered the image for grassroots activism while linking readers to Head Count Inc. to help fans register to vote.
Younger performers also brought political messages. Musician «Grandson,» whose real name is Jordan Benjamin, described using his platform to advance climate advocacy, voter registration, and youth empowerment through his XX Resistance Fund. In a September 2020 interview, he praised Biden's policy platform and said, «We should elect that dude.»
In a livestream chat on the Democratic-aligned MS NOW, a user wrote «BLUE WAVE,» while others filled comments with blue wave and blue heart emojis, reflecting anticipation of Democratic victories in the upcoming elections. The festival paired its message of collective action with a tiered concert-business model, offering VIP upgrades alongside its call for solidarity.