Federal immigration officers fatally shot Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January. Bruce Springsteen opened the sold-out Power to the People festival with “Streets of Minneapolis,” his song responding to their deaths. At Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on Saturday, Oct. 3, Springsteen told the crowd: “The power and solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, of Minnesota, is an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America, and this will not stand. They gave us hope. They showed us courage.” Then he urged: “Let them hear you in Washington.”
The opening placed federal force and the people who gathered in response at the heart of a festival built around protest, music and community action. Springsteen played political songs; performers throughout the day spoke about immigration, fascism and voting. For the packed crowd, the killings weren't an abstraction: federal agents fatally shot the people named in the opening song.
People Speaking Back
Evangeline Topete, a young fan in a shirt reading “Destroy American Fascism,” explained what she hoped the gathering would mean. “This festival means that peace, love, and justice do not have to remain nouns. They can become verbs — things that we can all contribute to — when we come together and rock out in the name of anti-fascist, radical equality. Rock ‘n’ roll can save us. And so can giving the power where it belongs: to the people!”
Festivalgoers wore shirts reading “Immigrants Make America Great,” “No Kings,” “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “Bring on the Matriarchy.” Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello organized the gathering as a one-day, two-stage event. Its mission statement said the event aimed to celebrate “peace, justice, solidarity, music and community action.”
At Freedom Village, attendees could connect with nonprofits including the ACLU, Farm Aid, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Oxfam. Organizers planned to direct a portion of all ticket-sale proceeds to VoteRiders and HeadCount. The report names those organizations and the planned proceeds, but doesn't give further details about what they delivered at the festival.
A Ballot Box Beside the Stage
The festival fell one month before the midterm elections and encouraged people to vote. Taylor Momsen told The Associated Press: “I’m not here to tell anyone what to think or how to vote. I hope people leave feeling connected, inspired to care about the people around them, and reminded that we all have a part to play in our communities.” She said the timing served as a reminder that “showing up matters.”
Other performers made the electoral appeal direct. Killer Mike said, “Vote locally in thirty days,” and urged voters to “hold the (expletive) you vote for accountable — on school boards, county commissions … and when you do, don’t have an ounce of fear or trepidation because this republic is ran by you.” The program paired those calls with songs and messages about state power. Voting was one route speakers urged from the stage, but it wasn't the festival's only subject.
Grandson sang a refrain declaring “My president’s a felon,” then covered Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” A livestream cut out as he introduced two actors portraying Jeffrey Epstein and Trump, connected by a leash. Jack Black appeared as “Jack Sabbath,” performing Black Sabbath covers with a band of children. Bassist Geezer Butler joined them for “War Pigs.”
Songs Against the Machinery
Joan Baez joined Springsteen for Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.” Later, Springsteen, Morello, Dave Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff performed Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” Baez, Rateliff and Matthews sang Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees,” followed by Baez’s “(Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody) Turn Me Around.” Baez called the festival a “magnificent antidote.”
The final songs were Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” with all its original verses, and John Lennon’s “Power to the People,” sung by the day’s performers. The closing refrain left the audience with a question already raised by the festival’s title: who gets to wield power, and who gets to claim it back?