Tom Morello’s Power to the People Festival featured an evening’s worth of special performances and surprise collaborations, including Bruce Springteen covering Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” backed by Dave Grohl, Dave Matthews, and Morello.
Springsteen’s set of protest anthems — his “Streets of Minneapolis” was the only original he performed — featured guest appearances throughout, including Joan Baez on a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” and Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” which Springsteen hadn’t performed live since 2009.
After that CCR classic, Springsteen brought out Dave Grohl — whose Foo Fighters performed earlier in the evening — to join him for the Young anthem:
The performance marked the first time that Springsteen had played “Rockin’ in the Free World” live since 2004, when he sang it alongside Young himself (as well as R.E.M. and John Fogerty) at a Vote for Change concert in Minnesota.
That Vote for Change concert ended with Springsteen leading an all-star rendition of Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power”; the Power to the People Festival ended with a similarly star-studded take on John Lennon’s “Power to the People,” the fest’s namesake song, as well as the full ensemble on a lengthy performance of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”:
Springsteen’s set wasn’t the only one to feature surprise guests: Jack Black’s Black Sabbath tribute act welcomed Geezer Butler, Public Enemy brought out Anthrax’s Scott Ian for “Bring the Noise,” a “Suns of Soundgarden” mini-set, and Morello’s set boasted guests like Serj Tankian, DMC, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Public Enemy, and Grohl, who performed Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” with Morello:
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