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Tom Morello’s Power To The People Fest - LOTS OF PHOTOS - Part One

If you wanted to see loads of images from one of the most insane festivals of the last decade... here they are.

Zach D Roberts

Zach D Roberts

— 5 min read
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Tom Morello’s Power To The People Fest - LOTS OF PHOTOS - Part One

This is post ONE of Three photo-sets from the Power to the People Festival. Tomorrow photos of Bruce Springsteen, Flogging Molly, Joan Baez and many more are coming.

If you subscribe at the FOUNDING Member level, you’ll get a gift of a physical photo-book of all these images and more.

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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.

Actor and sometime singer Jack Black (performing as Jack Sabbath) was joined by Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. They played Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
Activist groups tabled in an area of the festival called Freedom Village, handing out buttons, registering people to vote, and raising awareness for their causes. The wide range of organizations included the D.C. Abortion Fund, the Woody Guthrie Center, and the Project on Government Oversight.
Cypress Hill
Tom Morello is joined by his son Roman Morello and Grandson lead singer Jordan Edward Benjamin.
Surprise combinations of musicians and singers appeared on stage together throughout the festival. In one of the day’s most notable performances, Morello, DMC, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy and Jack Black.
Surprise combinations of musicians and singers appeared on stage together throughout the festival. In one of the day’s most notable performances, Morello, DMC, Cypress Hill, Eazy-E, and Public Enemy performed “Fight the Power” together.

Many more photos to come tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss them.

Subscribe at the FOUNDING member level and you will get a physical photo-book of all these images and more. This is a gift for subscribing to VisuNews.

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