The all-star Power To The People festival, curated by Tom Morello, will bring together Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Joan Baez, and many others for a day of music and activism near Washington D.C. in October. San Diego is represented by drummers Matt Cameron and Ilan Rubin, both Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, and hip‑hop group The Neighborhood Kids. The event, scheduled just before the mid‑terms, will benefit voter rights organizations.
The Power To The People festival, scheduled for October 3 at Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion near Washington D.C. , will feature a star-studded lineup curated by Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.
Headliners include Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, Cypress Hill, and Foo Fighters, with the latter featuring new drummer Ilan Rubin, a San Diego native. Also on the bill is another San Diego drummer, Matt Cameron, who last year stepped down from Pearl Jam after a 27-year tenure. Cameron, 63, is a double inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first with Pearl Jam in 2017 and more recently in 2026 as a member of Soundgarden.
Rubin, 37, was inducted with Nine Inch Nails in 2020, becoming the youngest inductee at that time. The festival is described by Morello as a nonpartisan celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action, featuring intimate and collaborative performances.
Additional artists include Jack Black, Brittany Howard, Killer Mike, Run DMC's DMC, a DJ set by Shepard Fairey, Dropkick Murphys, The Linda Lindas, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, Taylor Momsen, Grandson, and the San Diego hip‑hop collective The Neighborhood Kids, who won the 2026 San Diego Music Awards for Best Hip‑Hop/Rap Song. The Neighborhood Kids, known for using music to drive social change and spark unity, have been championed by Morello since he featured them at his Defend L.A. benefit concert last year.
Their new album, Voice of the Revolution, was released in April. A preliminary announcement of the festival was made by Springsteen during his Wednesday night concert with the E Street Band at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. , where Morello joined for more than half the set. Springsteen, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, delivered a political speech stating that democracy and the rule of law are under unprecedented challenge.
The timing of the October 3 event, less than a month before the mid‑term Congressional elections, appears politically significant. Morello's official statement emphasized the festival's focus on freedom, justice, equality, and rock and roll, highlighting the power of collective action through music, art, and community. The full lineup was unveiled on Thursday. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 7 a.m. PST, with prices ranging from $125 for lawn seats to $225 for pavilion seating and $375 for VIP packages.
A portion of all ticket sales and 10% of net VIP proceeds will be donated to VoteRiders, which works to eliminate restrictive voter ID barriers, and HeadCount, which supports voter registration and civic engagement. The festival announcement follows the previous day's reveal of the first wave of performers for The Great American State Fair, a 16‑day event on the National Mall presented by the Trump‑launched organization Freedom 250.
That lineup includes Martina McBride, Vanilla Ice, Young MC, Morris Day & The Time, Milli Vanilli, Bret Michaels, The Commodores, C+C Music Factory, and Flo Rida. However, by Thursday at least three acts-Morris Day, Young MC, and C+C Music Factory-had publicly withdrawn from the fair, indicating ongoing controversy surrounding the politically affiliated event
Power To The People Festival Tom Morello Bruce Springsteen Matt Cameron Ilan Rubin The Neighborhood Kids Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Washington D.C. Event Voter Rights Mid-Term Elections
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