The Power to the People festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion is fast approaching, and the Tom Morello-curated lineup has some exciting new additions.
Morello, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist and activist, just announced that Nathaniel Rateliff, Stephen Stills, Mike McCready, Geezer Butler, State Radio, Scott Ian, and The Last Internationale are joining the already impressive lineup of artists performing on Saturday, Oct. 3.
“The Power To The People festival is about freedom, justice, equality and rock and roll,” Morello said when the festival was announced in May. “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.”
Artists already announced for Power to the People include Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black (featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss), Serj Tankian, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, grandson, The Neighborhood Kids, Taylor Momsen, Matt Cameron, The Linda Lindas, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Tom Morello, and a DJ set by Shepard Fairey.
Billed as a “once in a lifetime day of peace, love, justice, music, and community,” the one-day festival brings musical artists together with fans, activists, community organizations and leaders. The common goal is to inspire change through the power of music and collective action. To that end, in addition to experiencing epic musical performances, attendees can speak to the many nonprofit organizations gathered in the festival’s Freedom Village.
Freedom Village will be a place where attendees can learn about chances to become involved in grassroots organizing, take advantage of educational opportunities, and participate in mutual aid and social impact initiatives.
With the festival taking place just one month before Election Day, and activism on the mind of Morello and so many of the participating artists and organizations, a portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales plus 100% of all the net proceeds from VIP tickets will be donated to VoteRiders and HeadCount. VoteRiders’ mission is to eliminate ID barriers to the ballot box, so that every eligible vote counts. HeadCount will be onsite to help fans register to vote and learn more about how to participate in the upcoming elections.
Also at Freedom Village, the ACLU will host an interactive display focusing on the power of the vote, and Rock The Vote will have a civic-themed custom comic book. Trans Maryland, a multi-racial, multi-gender, trans-led community power-building organization dedicated to Maryland’s trans community, is a participating organization, as is The Woody Guthrie Center. The Woody Guthrie Center will be onsite from Tulsa, OK to talk about the legendary Guthrie’s life, artistry, and music. A small portion of the long list of other participating organizations and nonprofit partners includes The Sentencing Project, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, DC Abortion Fund, Red Emma’s, and The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Fans who can no longer attend, or fans who missed out on tickets can now visit the Power to the People Face Value Ticket Exchange. This is an official one-stop-shop to buy or sell tickets at face value in partnership with CashorTrade. For more information about how buying or selling on CashorTrade works, visit their “How it Works” page.
