Tom Morello's inaugural Power To The People festival brought together a sprawling lineup of rock, rap, and punk artists for a day of politically charged performances and unexpected collaborations at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, last Saturday. Designed by the Rage Against The Machine guitarist as a «day of peace, love, justice and music,» the event delivered on its promise with a series of one-off pairings that spanned generations and genres.
One of the festival's most talked-about moments came when Jack Black took the stage alongside Darryl «DMC» McDaniels, Cypress Hill, Tom Morello, Public Enemy's Chuck D, and Anthrax's Scott Ian for a cover of Aerosmith's «Walk This Way.» Earlier in the day, Black had also joined Morello's son Roman, Scott Ian's son Revel, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler for a rendition of «War Pigs.»
Foo Fighters delivered a career-spanning set that included «Times Like These,» «All My Life,» «The Pretender,» «My Hero,» «Best of You,» and «Everlong,» along with a cover of «Young Man Blues,» originally by Mose Allison but famously performed by The Who. Frontman Dave Grohl later joined Morello for a cover of KISS's «Rock and Roll All Nite» and addressed the crowd, recalling his time campaigning for former Secretary of State John Kerry and giving a shout-out to his «new friend, Jack,» widely presumed to be former special counsel Jack Smith, who was reportedly in attendance.
The night culminated in an all-star jam session that began with Bruce Springsteen performing his politically charged song «Streets Of Minneapolis» solo. He then invited Joan Baez to join him for a cover of Bob Dylan's «Chimes Of Freedom.» Morello later joined them for The Clash's «Clampdown» and «The Ghost of Tom Joad,» before Dave Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff came out for Creedence Clearwater Revival's «Fortunate Son.» Grohl returned for Neil Young's «Rockin' In The Free World,» and the full cast assembled for a finale medley of Woody Guthrie's «This Land Is Your Land» and John Lennon's «Power to the People.»
The festival was first announced in May with a bill that included Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Joan Baez, System Of A Down's Serj Tankian, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Cypress Hill, and Killer Mike. A second wave of names followed last month, adding Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Anthrax's Scott Ian, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. The event was organized to «bring together artists, fans, activists, organisations and community leaders for an unforgettable day celebrating the power of music and collective action to inspire change.»
A portion of all ticket proceeds, plus 100 percent of net proceeds from VIP tickets, were donated to VoteRiders and HeadCount. VoteRiders works to eliminate restrictive ID-related barriers to the ballot box, while HeadCount helps fans register to vote and learn how to participate in upcoming elections.
In a statement ahead of the festival, Morello said: «The 'Power To The People' festival is about freedom, justice, equality and rock and roll. It's about the power everyday human beings have when they come together through music, art, community, and action. We're honoured to bring this incredible lineup to the DC area for a day that celebrates the spirit of activism, creativity, and hope.»
The event arrived shortly after Morello released his new solo album, «Everyone Gets Everything They Want,» which features a collaboration with Kneecap on the track «Unconquered.» The guitarist has a long history of political activism, including a «Fuck ICE» playlist last summer, attendance at anti-ICE protests, and a message to British far-right activist Tommy Robinson during his Download 2026 set. He has also teamed up with Serj Tankian for the single «Adjourn It.»