Tom Morello’s Power To The People Fest - LOTS OF PHOTOS - Part Two of Three
If you wanted to see loads of images from one of the most insane festivals of the last decade... here they are.
This is photo thread two of the Power to the People Festival, make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss anything. If you subscribe at the founding level you will get a physical book of these photos.
On October 3, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello gathered fellow performers outside Baltimore, Maryland, for Power to the People Festival. One month before the midterm elections, it was an incredible show of music’s political power.
In addition to Morello, the lineup included musicians known for speaking out politically: Public Enemy, Killer Mike, Dropkick Murphys, Joan Baez, and of course, Bruce Springsteen. Jack Black (performing as Jack Sabbath) played several metal songs, joining the Foo Fighters and Public Enemy. The performances played on two separate stages, one after another, for ten hours. For those of a certain age, it feels as close as we’ll get to Woodstock.
The speeches from the stage had clear political messages: “Fuck Trump,” “Free Palestine,” and “Fucking vote.” There were also a couple of comments critical of Ed Sheeran, who generated widespread backlash in September after removing performer Macklemore from his world tour for saying “Free Palestine” on stage.
One of the acts slated to perform was barred from entering the United States. The Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, known for its unapologetic political advocacy for Palestine, could not get visas to enter the United States. Instead, Morello screened a music video at the festival that he made with the group, which had been released the week before.
The final performance included nearly every featured act on stage simultaneously, singing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” including often-omitted lyrics in the original working-class protest piece that address economic and social inequality. The moment felt historic.
Many more photos to come tomorrow for the closing sets. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss them.
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