• Bruce Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello announced the “Power to the People” protest festival on Wednesday while performing together at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., as part of Springsteen’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour
• The one-day event is set for October 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland — one month before the midterm elections — and will be headlined by Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, and Joan Baez
• Throughout the Land of Hope and Dreams tour, Springsteen has opened each show with a declaration: “We are here to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in these dangerous times”
• The festival is organized by Morello and is framed around “freedom, justice, equality and rock ‘n’ roll”

Bruce Springsteen isn’t waiting until after the tour to make his point. The Boss announced a major protest festival Wednesday night from the stage at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., joined by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who has been touring with him on the Land of Hope and Dreams run.

The Power to the People festival is set for October 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland — putting it squarely one month before the midterm elections. The headliner list runs from Springsteen himself to Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, and Joan Baez, per PBS NewsHour.

The announcement came near the end of Springsteen’s short American tour, which has been explicitly political from the first night. At every stop, Springsteen has told the crowd: “We are here to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in these dangerous times.” He has also used the tour to spotlight activist organizations, welcoming groups into each venue to do outreach and solicit support, per Billboard.

Festival Details

Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Howard County, Maryland, is one of the mid-Atlantic’s signature outdoor venues — a practical choice for a large-scale event of this kind. The festival’s stated themes of “freedom, justice, equality and rock ‘n’ roll” track closely with the rhetoric Springsteen has been deploying throughout the tour, per CBS News Baltimore. No ticket details have been announced yet.

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• Portola Music Festival has announced its 2026 lineup for the event’s fifth annual edition: September 26-27 at Pier 80 in San Francisco, presented by Goldenvoice
• Saturday night is headlined by Robyn and Dog Blood — the duo of Skrillex and Boys Noize — alongside Soulwax, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Tove Lo, Groove Armada, DJ Shadow (performing a set celebrating 30 years of Endtroducing…..), Beastie Boys’ Mike D with his 5D project, and Tricky
• Sunday is headlined by Swedish House Mafia, with Tiësto making his Portola debut; the day also features Four Tet performing a live set, Zara Larsson, Ninajirachi, Kettama, and Mel C (the former Spice Girl) performing as a DJ
• Passes go on sale Tuesday at noon Pacific time; registration is required for access, and a “Party People Loyalty” presale is available for returning attendees

Portola just put together the kind of lineup that will have electronic music fans clearing their late-September calendars. The San Francisco festival, now heading into its fifth year, dropped its 2026 bill Thursday — and it’s headlined by Robyn, Dog Blood, Swedish House Mafia, and Tiësto across two nights at Pier 80.

Saturday leads with Robyn — the Swedish pop-dance icon whose catalog has anchored DJ sets and club nights for two decades — and Dog Blood, the project Skrillex runs with producer Boys Noize. Supporting on Saturday: Soulwax, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Tove Lo, Groove Armada, Tricky, and DJ Shadow, who will be performing in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Endtroducing….., his landmark 1996 album. Beastie Boys’ Mike D is also on the bill with his 5D set, per Brooklyn Vegan.

Sunday belongs to Swedish House Mafia as headliner, with Tiësto making his debut at Portola. Four Tet will perform a live set — a different proposition from his usual DJ work — alongside Zara Larsson, Ninajirachi, Kettama, and Mel C, the former Spice Girl who has built a substantial second career as a DJ, per Billboard.

Tickets and Details

Portola takes place September 26-27 at Pier 80, the waterfront industrial venue on the outskirts of Potrero Hill that has become the festival’s signature setting. Passes go on sale Tuesday at noon Pacific time, per GVWire; registration is required, and returning attendees can access a “Party People Loyalty” presale.

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• Tom Morello has announced the inaugural Power to the People Festival, set for Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland — one month before the midterm elections
• The lineup includes Bruce Springsteen (billed as a “special guest”), Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard, Serj Tankian, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Taylor Momsen, The Linda Lindas, Matt Cameron, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, grandson, and The Neighborhood Kids; Shepard Fairey provides artwork and a DJ set
• Morello announced the festival from the stage at Nationals Park on May 27 during the closing night of Bruce Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour, at which Morello has been performing
• The event is described as “a non-partisan celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action”; Morello told The Washington Post: “The mantra of the show is a very clear one. It is a show about peace, love, justice and music”
• Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 30 at 10 AM ET; a presale begins Friday, May 29

Tom Morello picked his moment. On the closing night of Bruce Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour at Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park on May 27, Morello stepped up to the microphone and announced Power to the People Festival — a one-day all-star event near the nation’s capital, timed to arrive exactly one month before the midterm elections.

The festival takes place Saturday, October 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Per Stereogum, the lineup is headlined by Bruce Springsteen (in a “special guest” billing), Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes. Rounding out the bill: Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black (performing alongside Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma, and Hugo Weiss), Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless, The Linda Lindas, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, grandson, and The Neighborhood Kids. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic Obama “Hope” poster, will contribute artwork and perform a DJ set.

Morello, who co-founded Rage Against the Machine and has spent decades as one of rock’s most outspoken activists, told The Washington Post the vision is straightforward. “The mantra of the show is a very clear one,” he said. “It is a show about peace, love, justice and music.” In a press statement, he put it more succinctly: “The Power to the People festival is about freedom, justice, equality and rock and roll.”

The Context Around the Show

The announcement lands at a charged moment. Morello has been visibly active in recent weeks — he was photographed singing at an anti-ICE protest in New York in May — and the Springsteen tour he joined has been described by multiple outlets as politically charged, with the Boss directing pointed commentary toward the current administration throughout the run.

The festival’s website describes it as “a non-partisan celebration,” but the timing and the guest list tell a more specific story. The October 3 date falls exactly one month before the midterm elections. The lineup reads like a greatest-hits of artists who have been outspoken during the current political moment — Springsteen, Killer Mike, Joan Baez, the Dropkick Murphys. Morello framed the event in broader terms: “It’s a concert about the power everyday human beings have when they come together — through music, art, community and action — to shape our country and our planet.”

Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 30 at 10 AM ET. A presale opens Friday, May 29.

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