Power to the People, Tom Morello’s politically charged one-day music festival, was held on Saturday, October 3rd, at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
The night was filled with a wide range of musicians including the quite young (The Neighborhood Kids, The Linda Lindas) and the legendary (Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen), and a number of one-time-only collaborations.
There were plenty of great performances and moments across the nearly 10 hours of continuous music and speeches given over the show. These are the 10 best things I saw in attendance at Power to the People.
The People
Crowd at Power to the People, photo by Jason Herman
For a politics focused festival, ultimately it is the people that are most important, especially given the title of this one. The show’s audience spanned multiple generations, with young children all the way up to people in their 80s in attendance. On top of the wide spread of ages, races, and backgrounds, there was also an incredibly warm and cooperative atmosphere as well as tons of engagement with the activists and organizations on foot at the event. While it was a festival built around music, the true heart of the event wasn’t lost on anyone in attendance and all present were thoroughly involved and supportive of one another. It was beautiful.
grandson
Grandson at Power To The People Festival, photo by Jason Herman
Many artists give aesthetic nods to Rage Against the Machine but few manage to thread the needle quite so well or nail as many fine points as grandson (aka Jordan Benjamin). His backing band was tight, featuring a bassist with a fat round tone that punched just like Tim Commerford, and a guitarist who gave off that Public Enemy-meets-Sabbath vibe of Tom Morello. But most uncanny of all was grandson himself, spitting explicitly political lyrics in a tightened set with an amount of venom in his voice that is the closest we’ve come to Zack de la Rocha since, well, Denzel Curry’s impeccable cover of “Bulls on Parade.”
Jack Sabbath
Jack Sabbath at Power to the People, photo by Liz Baummer
It would be easy to be cynical about a cover project based on a pun, but to do so would require not knowing or witnessing the depth of real love for heavy metal felt by Jack Black. Alongside a young band of teenagers featuring Roman Morello, son of Tom Morello, and Revel Ian, son of Anthrax’s Scott Ian, the actor/comedian/Tenacious D frontman delivered a killer Ozzy vocal, performing “Mr. Crowley,” “The Wizard,” and “War Pigs,” the latter of which featured Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler himself. But perhaps most impressive was Roman Morello absolutely nailing the two iconic solos of “Mr. Crowley,” showcasing what a great young guitarist he is.
Tom Morello and Friends
Tom Morello at Power to the People, photo by Liz Baummer
Tom Morello’s set was a masterclass in packing in value for time. It featured everything from a lengthy instrumental medley of a number of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave tracks, a performance of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone” featuring Serj Tankian on vocals, and a cover of KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” with Dave Grohl on vocals. The highlight was a series of guest arrivals all adding on to one another. Chuck D and B-Real joined the stage for the track “Prophets of Rage,” then DMC for a rendition of Run-DMC’s “Tricky,” then Sen-Dog, Jack Black, and Scott Ian for a cover of the Run-DMC/Aerosmith version of “Walk This Way,” followed by Flavor Flav joining for a rousing version of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” After the guests left the stage, Morello and his solo band, including son Roman, delivered one of the most memorable moments of the festival, a jaw-dropping instrumental performance of RATM’s “Killing in the Name” sung by the audience. The amphitheater was shaking with the voices of the gathered who hit every inflection in a brilliant and spontaneous show of total unity.
Suns of Soundgarden
Suns of Soundgarden at Power to the People, photo by Liz Baummer
The rumored Soundgarden set featuring Taylor Momsen came to pass albeit with a twist. This time she was backed by Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and his longtime Pearl Jam bandmate Mike McCready, along with Tom Morello and Robbie Mangano. They ran through a set comprised of “Loud Love,” “Outshined,” and “Spoonman,” with Momsen giving a spellbinding vocal performance that truly honored her late musical hero Chris Cornell. Momsen’s emergence into the heavy rock sphere has been an incredible journey to watch and it seems the heavier she goes, the better she becomes.
Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews at Power to the People, photo by Matt Ruppert)
Despite his reputation forged in the ’90s of king of frat boys and hacky-sack aficionados, Dave Matthews’ consistent political radicalism has been noticed more and more in the mainstream, especially his protest against the ongoing violence in Gaza. The spotlight allowed eyes on this solo guitar-and-vocal performance that many might otherwise have missed, showcasing his brilliant control of dynamics and theatricality despite the spare arrangements. Matthews has always been a passionate and emotive performer and, given the political context and the sparser approach here, that genuine intensity was allowed to shine for people who otherwise might not have known it was always there. His set also included a lovely cover of “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” the song famously shaped by Marvin Gaye’s reflection on the letters his brother wrote while stationed in Vietnam, adding a perfect tie to histories of American protest music and an ode to a brilliant songwriter and performer.
Joan Baez
Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen at Power to the People. photo by Jordan A. Grobe
Seeing Joan Baez, who is 85 years old, was an honor in and of itself. The protest music legend, who debuted in the late ’50s, graced the stage like a loving grandmother who came to bless the occasion. When she sang songs like Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee” and Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” (with Bruce Springsteen), she was given a rightful spotlight. She leaned on a human approachability that has always felt authentic and real, something she still delivered with aplomb nearly 70 years since her debut.
Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills and Tom Morello at Power to the People, photo by Jason Herman
Baez wasn’t the only conscious nod to the original Woodstock lineup. Stephen Stills made an appearance, performing Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” a song that became heavily associated with Vietnam War protests and the subsequent era of political radicalism that took over youth power from the mid ’60s to the early ’70s. It read less as a passing of the torch and more as a communal act, an acknowledgement that no one is too young and no one ages out of these communities of resistance, which is a beautiful and necessary message paired with an excellent song.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello at Power To The People Festival, photo by Jason Herman
A lot can be said about the collaborative covers which cut through Bruce Springsteen’s set, such as the previously mentioned version of “Chimes of Freedom” alongside Joan Baez or the raucous and gloriously messy Neil Young cover “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World,” but the real heart of the Boss’ set was his solo performance of “Streets of Minneapolis.” Springsteen concerts are like church sermons and he has ever been socially conscious, and his poetic and theatrical command was met with rapturous awe by the audience, as he sang with clarity and specificity rather than open-ended platitudes. There is a reason why, with so many legends past and present and so many full bands in attendance, it was Springsteen who was essentially the headliner.
“This Land Is Your Land”
All-Star Finale at Power to the People, photo by Jason Herman
The show’s finale saw Tom Morello leading most of the day’s performers in a rendition of the Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land Is Your Land.” The song may be driven to triteness by some, especially with the defanged version spread around to school children starting at a young age, but Morello and company performed the version with the political radicalism still in tact in the lyrics. For those who have attended protests or radical political meetings, this song has been a staple of the American left-wing and the labor landscape of the nation for decades for a reason, and the communal performance of it being the finale, followed by an abbreviated sing-along of John Lennon’s “Power to the People,” underscored the true purpose of the festival and ended it on the note it deserved.
