The people united will never be defeated — at least, not if Tom Morello has anything to do with it. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist and longtime activist convened a who’s who of progressive musicians on Oct. 3 for the first ever Power to the People
festival, held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. There were performances from committed political acts like Joan Baez, Public Enemy, and Morello himself, along with arena-scale headliners like Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews, plus a crowded undercard full of other like-minded acts forming a coalition of musicians for democracy. Oh, yeah, and there was also a special appearance from Morello’s buddy Bruce Springsteen, back onstage with the guitarist just a few months after wrapping the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour.
Morello, who just released a great new album called Everyone Gets Everything They Want, explained the thinking behind the festival as follows in a recent interview with Rolling Stone‘s Brian Hiatt: “With regards to the record, it’s probably the last record I’ll make before they throw us all in jail. So let’s make the most of it. And then the festival too comes at a historical crossroads in our democracy, doing what we can with what we’ve got.”
Click through for our best photos from an unforgettable day of music for the people.
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