COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) — In the shadow of Washington, Bruce Springsteen and a few musical giants had a message for the world: “Let them hear you in Washington,” he cheered.
The Boss played a number of political songs during his headlining set at the inaugural “Power to the People” star-studded protest festival at Columbia, Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday. Organized by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, the festival aimed to celebrate “peace, justice, solidarity, music and community action,” according to its mission statement, and promote voter turnout.
Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will benefit the organizations VoteRiders and HeadCount.
Many of the acts used their platform to denounce recent actions conducted by the U.S. government.
For example, Springsteen opened with “Streets of Minneapolis,” in response to the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents.
“The power and solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, of Minnesota, is an inspiration to the entire country,” he told the sold-out crowd. “Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America, and this will not stand. They gave us hope. They showed us courage.”
For his second number, folk icon Joan Baez emerged, and the pair duetted Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.” Later, Springsteen, Morello, Dave Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff joined forces for Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.”
In addition to the protest music on stage, fans in the crowd wore shirts with strong messages. “Immigrants Make America Great,” read one. “No Kings,” “No one is illegal on stolen land,” “Bring on the Matriarchy” read others.
And across the fest grounds stood a “Freedom Village,” an activation where attendees could engage with nonprofits like the ACLU, Farm Aid, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Oxfam and more.
How ‘Power to the People’ came to be
“Power to the People” was revealed in May, around the same time several musical guests announced they had backed out of America’s 250th anniversary celebration, “The Great American State Fair,” over the event’s ties to President Donald Trump.
“Power to the People” stood in stark opposition. The one-day, two-stage festival boasted a stacked lineup heavy with veteran rock ‘n’ roll bands. It also included performances by acts like Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Serj Tankian, Killer Mike and the Linda Lindas.
And conveniently, “Power to the People” took place one month before the midterm elections.
“I think the timing is a reminder that showing up matters. I’m not here to tell anyone what to think or how to vote,” Taylor Momsen, one of the festival’s performers, told The Associated Press. “I hope people leave feeling connected, inspired to care about the people around them, and reminded that we all have a part to play in our communities. If the festival can create that feeling, I think that’s a win.”
Former DOJ special counsel Jack Smith in attendance
Among those in attendance was former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who was photographed by fellow concertgoers wearing a black Springsteen T-shirt that said “No Kings” in images widely shared online.
His public appearance came just days after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which he firmly defended the two prosecutions he brought against President Donald Trump over the Republican’s efforts to undo the presidential election and his retention of classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
After the news organization Just the News publicized Smith’s attendance, Trump lashed out against his long-running antagonist, sharing the story about the concert on Truth Social and adding the message: “Deranged Jack Smith is a Crooked Prosecutor! President DJT.”
The fest brought music with a message
Political messaging arrived fast and furious at the event. One of the day’s earliest performers, the rap rock artist Grandson, performed a song with the refrain “My president’s a felon” before launching into a cover of Bob Dylan’s Cold War protest, “Masters of War.”
Later, a livestream broadcast of the “Power to the People” festival cut out as Grandson introduced two actors portraying Jeffrey Epstein and Trump, who joined him on stage, connected by a leash.
Other acts focused on a central message of the festival — directing attendees to the nonprofits at the adjacent Freedom Village and, more commonly, the importance of voting in the upcoming midterm elections.
“Vote locally in thirty days,” rapper Killer Mike said mid-set. “And hold the (expletive) you vote for accountable — on school boards, county commissions … and when you do, don’t have an ounce of fear or trepidation because this republic is ran by you.”
‘Power to the People’ was full of surprise performances, too
Shortly after 3 p.m., the comedian Jack Black appeared on stage as “Jack Sabbath,” performing Black Sabbath covers while backed by a band of children — including the sons of Morello and Anthrax’s Scott Ian — in what read like both a real-life “School of Rock” set and a touching tribute to the late, great Ozzy Osbourne. In fact, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler joined them on stage for “War Pigs.”
In Morello’s early evening set, he was joined by System of a Down’s Serj Tankian for a duet of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone” in honor of the late frontman Chris Cornell. It was the start of a trend: After Tankian came Chuck D, Run DMC, Flavor Flav for various covers; Morello and Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl also tackled Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
Baez, Rateliff and Matthews joined forces for Woody Guthrie’s protest song “Deportees,” before launching into Baez’s “(Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody) Turn Me Around.”
As they exited, Stephen Stills took the stage to perform Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”
The festival, which Baez labeled a “magnificent antidote,” concluded with all the day’s performers singing Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” — with all its original verses — as well as John Lennon’s “Power to the People.”
“This festival means that peace, love, and justice do not have to remain nouns. They can become verbs — things that we can all contribute to — when we come together and rock out in the name of anti-fascist, radical equality,” a young fan named Evangeline Topete, who wore a shirt that read “Destroy American Fascism,” told The Associated Press. “Rock ‘n’ roll can save us. And so can giving the power where it belongs: to the people!”
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
