Music can bring people together. Sometimes, it can also remind us of what we’re capable of doing together.
That spirit ran through the Power to the People Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion on October 3, 2026, about 30 miles north of Washington, D.C. Curated by Tom Morello, the day brought together musicians, activists, community organizations, and a packed crowd for a celebration of music and a call to participate in shaping our country’s future.
Across two stages and the festival’s Freedom Village, the message kept coming through: our voices matter, our neighbors matter, and change takes people willing to show up.
That was what drew me there. The extraordinary lineup was certainly part of the appeal, but so was the chance to be among people who wanted to help others, encourage participation, and stand up for the ideals we want our country to live up to.
I left with unforgettable musical memories and renewed motivation to carry that spirit into everyday life.
Finding our place at Merriweather
It had rained earlier in the day, so the lawn at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, was a little muddy. During the festival itself, though, the weather was just about perfect: comfortable temperatures and no rain.
The line to get in was longer than any I remembered seeing there. Before this event, the longest line I’ve seen waiting for the doors to open was for Jimmy Buffett. By the time we made it inside, much of the lawn was already full and the first set was well underway. We settled near the back lawn stairway entrance, which turned out to be a good spot for me. With my recent knee replacement, I appreciated not having to navigate around quite so many blankets on the grass.
Tom Morello seemed to be everywhere, serving as emcee and playing with musicians throughout the day. Performances alternated between two stages, and video feeds let us follow the action on the other stage. Who is Tom Morello? He’s a Grammy Award-winning American musician and political activist best known as the innovative, genre-defining lead guitarist for the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.
The performances and people
Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, and Dave Matthews were the event headliners and seeing them all on stage together for the epic finale was truly a moment for the history books.
VIEWER WARNING: Note that some of these videos contain explicit language.
Joan Baez is an original freedom fighter, someone who has spent decades showing how music and conviction can work together. Seeing her sing with Nathaniel Rateliff and Bruce Springsteen felt especially meaningful.
One of my personal highlights was getting up close to Public Enemy at the Chrysalis stage. The energy, the music, the crowd. It was amazing to be right there! You can see the top of my Maryland flag bucket hat bopping around in a lot of the MS NOW footage, a few rows back to the left.
The Dropkick Murphys brought plenty of fire, too. Throughout the day, the music gave the crowd ways to express frustration, hope, determination, and joy.
A huge highlight for the attendees was when Jack Black joined DMC and Tom Morello for an electric rendition of “Walk This Way.”
Former special counsel Jack Smith was there, too, wearing a “No Kings” T-shirt and chilling on the lawn with the rest of us. Dave Grohl even dedicated “My Hero” to “my new friend Jack” which was an apparent nod to Smith. Read about the dedication.
There were special video messages from Macklemore and Robert Dinero, and more. What stayed with me across all of these moments was the feeling of being among people who cared deeply about what happens next. I felt like I belonged with these people at this moment.
A finale I’ll never forget
Bruce Springsteen opened his set with “Streets of Minneapolis.” His performance and collaborations were a powerful way to close a day devoted to music and community action.
Bruce Springsteen at the Power to the People Festival, October 3, 2026. Video recorded by me.
But the moment that brought everything together for me was the rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” with performers from throughout the day joining together.
Hearing its more pointed verses, along with new additions, made the song feel especially urgent.
Is this land still ours? What are we going to do to care for it and for one another?
That was the question I carried away from the performance. I thought about people who are struggling, people who feel overlooked, and people who need to hear that someone will stand beside them.
It was inspirational, and it is a moment I’ll always remember.
Community beyond the music
The festival’s Freedom Village gave that sense of purpose somewhere to go. Nonprofits, advocacy groups, and community partners offered opportunities to learn about civic engagement, grassroots organizing, mutual aid, and other ways to get involved.
The festival organizers also designated a portion of ticket proceeds, along with all net proceeds from VIP tickets, to support VoteRiders and HeadCount.
There were sweet moments along the way, too. Ben & Jerry’s was giving away free ice cream! Razz Up! is black raspberry ice cream with raspberry swirls and crackling fudge chunks and it was delicious. More about the flavor.
Why this matters to me and what we can do next
If you’ve read my first book, Welcome to Seagull Street, you know election security is a subject close to my heart. I worked briefly for a cybersecurity firm as head of marketing and I drew on that experience when writing about my main character, a cybersecurity analyst helping to make elections safe. People being able to participate and trust that their voices count is something I care about beyond the pages of a book.
At Merriweather, I felt that concern reflected in the music, the organizations, and the people who had shown up. I left the event feeling encouraged. I also left knowing that the feeling matters most when we do something with it.
What’s happening right now in the U.S. is not normal, and I believe we’re living through a turning point. Our choices matter, including whether we participate at all. We cannot leave the work to someone else and hope for the best.
So here’s my ask: choose one action and take it this week.
- Make your voting plan. Check your registration, find the dates and requirements for your state, and make sure someone you care about has a plan, too. https://voteriders.org/
- Choose an organization from the Freedom Village list below. Learn what it needs, then volunteer, donate if you can, or share its work with someone who could help.
- Show up for someone in your community. Offer a ride, bring a meal, attend a local meeting, or ask a neighbor what support would make a difference.
You don’t have to do everything. But each of us can choose something and follow through.
What will your next step be? Tell me in the comments, and invite someone to join you.
The festival lasted one day. What we do with its energy can last much longer.
Power to the People Festival 2026: Announced entertainer lineup
The festival’s announced lineup spanned generations and musical styles:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Foo Fighters
- Dave Matthews
- Tom Morello
- Joan Baez
- Public Enemy
- Jack Black, featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma, and Hugo Weiss
- Dropkick Murphys
- Cypress Hill
- Nathaniel Rateliff
- Killer Mike
- Serj Tankian
- Stephen Stills
- Mike McCready
- Taylor Momsen
- Geezer Butler
- The Linda Lindas
- Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
- Matt Cameron
- State Radio
- Scott Ian
- grandson
- The Last Internationale
- The Neighborhood Kids
- Shepard Fairey DJ set
Freedom Village organizations and community partners
The music drew people together, and these organizations and partners offered ways to carry that energy into our communities.
The 2026 Freedom Village partner list included:
- ACLU
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- AMICA Center for Immigrant Rights
- The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
- DC Abortion Fund
- Farm Aid
- HeadCount
- Indivisible
- Noise for Now
- Nourish Now
- The Mary Morello Memorial Project
- National Domestic Workers Alliance / Care in Action
- Oxfam
- Project on Government Oversight (POGO)
- Rock the Vote
- Sasha Bruce Youthwork
- The Sentencing Project
- Trans Maryland
- Third Act
- VoteRiders
- We Are CASA
- The Woody Guthrie Center
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Charitybuzz
- Red Emma’s
To learn more about these organizations, including direct links to their websites, visit: https://powertothepeoplefest.com/freedomvillage
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