Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler, Anthrax‘s Scott Ian, and Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready are among the new names confirmed for Tom Morello‘s ‘Power To The People’ event. See the line-up below.
- READ MORE: Tom Morello: “In the past, I’ve wanted to use music as a battering ram for social justice”
The festival is due to take place on Saturday October 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, and is billed as “a day of peace, love, justice and music”.
Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Joan Baez, System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike and more were announced in the initial wave of acts in May.
Now, Morello has shared another batch of artists scheduled to perform. These are the aforementioned Butler, Ian and McCready, as well as Nathaniel Rateliff, Stephen Stills, State Radio and The Last Internationale.
Check out the updated line-up poster here:
Morello himself will also be taking to the stage at ‘Power To The People’, which will “bring together artists, fans, activists, organisations and community leaders for an unforgettable day celebrating the power of music and collective action to inspire change”.
Attendees can engage with nonprofit organisations, advocacy groups, artists, and community partners in the festival’s Freedom Village, too. A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales, plus 100 per cent of the net proceeds from VIP tickets, will be donated to good causes.
These causes are VoteRiders – a pro-democracy, pro-voter organisation working to restore and strengthen democracy by eliminating confusing and restrictive ID-related barriers to the ballot box – and HeadCount, which will also be on site to help fans register to vote and learn more about how to participate in upcoming elections.
“The ‘Power To The People’ festival is about freedom, justice, equality and rock and roll,” said Morello in a statement.
“It’s about the power everyday human beings have when they come together through music, art, community, and action. We’re honoured to bring this incredible lineup to the DC area for a day that celebrates the spirit of activism, creativity, and hope.”
Visit here for more information.
Morello is set to release his new solo album, ‘Everyone Gets Everything They Want’, this Friday (September 25). The record features a collaboration with Kneecap on ‘Unconquered’, and contains recent single ‘Date Night’.
Last summer, the guitarist – a longtime critic of President Trump – shared a “F*** ICE” playlist, and he was one of the many figures from the entertainment world who attended the anti-ICE protests.
In 2024, he spoke to NME backstage at Download Festival about the power of music to spark political change, while listing his all-time favourite protest songs.
“The first thing that makes a great protest song is that it’s a great song,” he told us. “Nobody wants to hear a college lecture with a beat to it, there has to be an artistry there and an authenticity and a power and a chemistry behind it. All of those songs have that.”
Earlier this year, Morello used his set at Download 2026 to send a message to the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The guitarist also teamed up with Serj Tankian and the former’s son, Roman, on a powerful new single called ‘Adjourn It’.
Morello toured with Bruce Springsteen on the legendary artist’s ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’ US tour this year. The Boss released a live video of his cover of Prince‘s ‘Purple Rain’ featuring Morello, filmed at a gig in Minneapolis.
Elsewhere, Morello launched the Mary Morello Memorial Project this July following his mother’s death at the age of 102, encouraging fans to honour her through “caring, service and action”.
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