Tom Morello’s Power to the People Fest Brings Springsteen, Foo Fighters to D.C.

The one-day event at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Oct. 3 is billed as a day of love, peace, justice, and music.

Tom Morello is bringing his activist rock ethos to a full-scale festival this fall. Power to the People is set for October 3, 2026, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, with a lineup headlined by Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters. Springsteen himself announced the event onstage on May 27 during the final show of his Land of Hope and Dreams tour, where Morello had joined him nightly for nearly half of the 27-song set.

How the Announcement Went Down

Springsteen broke the news from the stage on Wednesday night, May 27, during the closing night of his Land of Hope and Dreams tour. Morello had been a fixture on that run, joining the musicians each night for close to half of the 27-song set.

“In the future we want to keep raising our voices for hope and justice together. Tom Morello and I will be back again here in D.C. on Oct. 3 for another night of music and resistance,” Springsteen told the crowd. “We encourage you to come out and make a goddamned ruckus with us.”

The two have history beyond the tour. Morello hosted Springsteen for the first live performance of his protest song “Streets of Minneapolis” during a late January benefit concert in Minneapolis held for two citizens slain by I.C.E. personnel.

Full Power to the People Lineup

The bill is one of the more eclectic activist-rock rosters assembled in recent memory, spanning classic rock royalty, hip-hop, punk, and a next-generation cohort of young performers.

• Bruce Springsteen
• Foo Fighters
• Dave Matthews
• Joan Baez
• Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes)
• Dropkick Murphys
• Serj Tankian (System of a Down)
• Cypress Hill
• Killer Mike
• Grandson
• The Linda Lindas
• Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless)
• Matt Cameron (former Soundgarden/Pearl Jam)
• Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels (Run-DMC)
• Jack Black
• Roman Morello
• Revel Ian
• Yoyoka Soma
• Hugo Weiss
• Shepard Fairey (DJ set)
• Tom Morello

What the Festival Stands For

In a statement, Morello described the event as being about “freedom, justice, equality and rock and roll.” The Rage Against the Machine guitarist added, “It’s about the power everyday human beings have when they come together through music, art, community, and action. We’re honored to bring this incredible lineup to the DC area for a day that celebrates the spirit of activism, creativity, and hope.”

The festival’s website bills it as a non-partisan event, describing it as being about “the power everyday human beings have when they come together — through music, art, community and action — to shape our country and our planet on, and beyond, Election Day.” While most artists on the bill have been vocal critics of the current administration, the event’s organizers have framed it around civic participation rather than party affiliation.

A portion of proceeds from all ticket sales, plus 100 percent of the net proceeds from VIP tickets, will be donated to VoteRiders, a non-profit organization that works to eliminate ID-related barriers for voters.

Legendary street artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the event poster, will also perform a DJ set. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on May 30.

What we know

• Power to the People is a one-day festival scheduled for October 3, 2026, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
• Bruce Springsteen announced the festival onstage on May 27 during the final show of his Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
• Tom Morello joined Springsteen’s musicians each night for nearly half of the 27-song set on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
• Morello hosted Springsteen for the first live performance of ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ at a late January benefit concert in Minneapolis for two citizens slain by I.C.E. personnel.
• A portion of proceeds from all ticket sales and 100 percent of net proceeds from VIP tickets will be donated to VoteRiders.
• Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on May 30.
• Shepard Fairey designed the event poster and will also perform a DJ set.
• The festival is described on its website as a non-partisan event.

The take

Tom Morello has spent his entire career threading the needle between arena-rock spectacle and street-level activism, from Rage Against the Machine’s early-’90s agitprop to his solo work as the Nightwatchman. Power to the People reads as the logical culmination of that project: a festival-scale event that functions simultaneously as a concert and a civic mobilization effort. The VoteRiders partnership is a telling detail, grounding the day in a concrete organizational mission rather than vague consciousness-raising.

The Springsteen connection is significant beyond the marquee value. Springsteen has long been the elder statesman of working-class rock activism, and his willingness to co-sign this event from his own stage carries real weight with the classic rock audience Morello needs to reach beyond his existing base. The Land of Hope and Dreams tour collaboration clearly deepened that bond.

The lineup’s breadth is also worth noting. Pairing Joan Baez, a folk protest icon whose career stretches back to the early 1960s, with the Linda Lindas, a young punk band that became a viral phenomenon in 2021, signals a deliberate attempt to build a multi-generational coalition. Festivals with explicitly political missions have historically struggled to sustain momentum past a single cycle, but the proximity to Election Day and the non-partisan framing give this one a structural hook that pure benefit concerts often lack.

Why it matters

For classic rock fans, Power to the People represents a rare moment when the genre’s biggest names are using their platform for something beyond nostalgia. Springsteen and Morello are two of the most credible voices in rock activism, and their pairing at a festival this size, this close to a major election, gives the event genuine cultural weight. The VoteRiders donation structure also means attendance translates directly into civic infrastructure funding, making it one of the more substantively organized benefit events the rock world has produced in recent years.

What’s next

Tickets for Power to the People go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on May 30. The festival itself takes place October 3, 2026, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

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