RatM Guitarist Tom Morello’s Power to the People Concert to Feature Bruce Springsteen, Jack Black, and More

Screenshot courtesy Springsteen’s YouTube page.
During a concert at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, currently playing with Bruce Springsteen on his Land of Hopes and Dreams tour, announced the lineup for his Power to the People concert, taking place at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland near the nation’s capital this coming October.
The concert, taking place on October 3rd, will feature performances by Morello, Serj Tankian from System of a Down, the Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless, The Linda Lindas, and will be capped off by a special performance by Springsteen. The poster art can be seen below.

Morello and Springsteen have not shied away from expressing their feelings about the political situation in this country. At Wednesday’s show, Springsteen played many of his most political songs, including “American Skin (41 Shots)” about a fatal police shooting and “Streets of Minneapolis,” written in response to the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents.
“The Gestapo tactics of this president and this administration will not stand here,” Springsteen told the crowd, adding, “our democracy, our constitution, our rule of law are being challenged right now.” He encouraged his fans to choose “hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division…”

Morello said in a statement that, “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.”
The festival will feature performances across two stages, along with a Freedom Village where attendees can connect with nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, artists and community partners. A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will benefit the nonpartisan, non-profit voting registration organizations VoteRiders and HeadCount.
Power to the People is not necessarily a response to the administration’s planned “Great American State Fair” anniversary event called Freedom 250 running from June 25th through July 10th and reportedly featuring artists like Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, Martina McBride, The Commodores, C+C Music Factory, and Poison’s Bret Michaels.
Three artists announced as being on the lineup, Milli Vanilli, Morris Day and the Time and Young MC, claimed on their social media that they never committed to performing.
Morris Day posted the following on the band’s official Facebook page.

“Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR,’” said a graphic posted by the artist on social media.
“It’s A No For Me,” the post added.
According to the Associated Press, Milli Vanilli singer Jodie Rocco said that neither she, her sister Linda Rocco nor any of the other group members had been asked to come.
“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli’, as one of the performers,” Jodie Rocco wrote in an email addressed to AP.
Young MC posted a similar message on Facebook, saying “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed”. I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”

As of this writing, no other artists have made similar announcements about their participation in the administration’s event.
Springsteen has been the target of the president’s ire especially since his most recent tour, which criticized the extra-judicial killings of citizens by Trump’s ICE forces. Springsteen told the crowd at the D.C. show on Wednesday that “This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people: you. There is no one coming to save us. We’ve got to do it ourselves. So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love. Do you hear me, Washington?”


