Power to the People expands lineup: Stephen Stills, Geezer Butler and Nathaniel Rateliff join Tom Morello's festival
Power to the People Festival, a one-day music event curated by guitarist Tom Morello, has further expanded its lineup ahead of its October 3, 2026 date at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, in the U.S. state of Maryland. According to an announcement from the organizers dated September 16, the new names include Nathaniel Rateliff, Stephen Stills, Mike McCready, Geezer Butler, State Radio, Scott Ian and The Last Internationale. This adds several more musicians associated with some of the most influential rock bands of recent decades to an already extensive lineup that had previously confirmed Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Public Enemy and a number of other performers. Bruce Springsteen is listed on the official festival website as a special guest, while Morello will also perform at the event he conceived. The organizers present Power to the People as an all-day gathering of musicians, audiences, activists and nonprofit organizations, with programming spread across two stages.
A new wave of performers connects folk-rock, hard rock and the alternative scene
The latest addition to the lineup especially broadens the festival's generational range. Stephen Stills is one of the key songwriters of American folk-rock and a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, while Buffalo Springfield, the group in which Stills played with Neil Young and other members, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year. His appearance at the festival further connects the lineup with the legacy of politically and socially engaged music from the second half of the 20th century. In its profile of Buffalo Springfield, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame also highlights the song "For What It's Worth", one of the most recognizable compositions from Stills' early period. In the context of an event that emphasizes the connection between music and civic engagement, his inclusion fits into the broader concept that the organizers have built around the festival from the beginning.
Geezer Butler brings an entirely different musical tradition. The bassist and one of the founders of Black Sabbath is part of a band that was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and his influence is associated with the formative period of heavy metal. In Columbia, performers whose careers span 1960s folk-rock, 1970s hard rock and metal, hip-hop, alternative rock, punk and contemporary roots rock will therefore come together at the same festival. Nathaniel Rateliff further expands that range with his blend of soul, rock and the American roots tradition, while Mike McCready, guitarist for Pearl Jam, will bring a connection to grunge and 1990s alternative rock. Scott Ian, known as the guitarist of Anthrax, is another name from the metal world, while State Radio and The Last Internationale are also on the updated list.
Foo Fighters, Springsteen, Joan Baez and Public Enemy had already been confirmed
Power to the People was announced on May 28, 2026, when the organizers revealed the initial group of performers. It included Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, Serj Tankian, The Linda Lindas, Taylor Momsen, Matt Cameron, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, grandson and The Neighborhood Kids, along with Tom Morello. The lineup also includes Jack Black with Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss, while artist Shepard Fairey, creator of the festival's visual identity, will perform a DJ set. The official website currently also lists all seven performers added in September, further expanding the overall lineup less than three weeks before the festival. The organizers note that performers and schedules are subject to change.
Bruce Springsteen has a specially highlighted place in the lineup. In the original announcement, the organizers stated that the festival was introduced to the public during Springsteen's performance at Nationals Park in Washington in late May, while Morello was touring with Springsteen at the time. On official festival materials, Springsteen is designated as a special guest rather than as a conventionally listed performer within the main lineup. Details of his performance, including its duration and possible joint appearances with other musicians, have not yet been announced. Since the organizers describe the entire event as a series of special and collaborative performances, the program leaves room for combinations of performers that have not been detailed in advance in the publicly available schedule.
Morello is building the festival around music and social engagement
Tom Morello conceived the festival as an event that connects the concert program with themes of peace, justice, solidarity, music and community action. In the initial announcement, he said the idea was to bring people together through music, art, community and action, while the organizers describe the event on the official website as a nonpartisan gathering. Morello's approach has a clear connection to his long career. As the guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, he became known for unconventional guitar techniques and his work in a band whose lyrics frequently addressed political and social themes, and the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. He also played in Audioslave and developed solo projects, while throughout his career he has participated in numerous concerts and initiatives connected with social issues.
The lineup shows that the festival is not trying to remain within a single genre framework. Public Enemy brings a tradition of politically engaged hip-hop to the program, Joan Baez has been associated with protest and folk music for decades, and Serj Tankian is also known for public activism alongside his musical work. At the same time, the lineup includes performers such as Foo Fighters, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Cypress Hill and The Linda Lindas, meaning rock, punk, hip-hop, metal, soul and roots influences will alternate in the same space. It is precisely this broad cross-section that allows the organizers to present the festival as a shared platform for different generations rather than an event aimed only at the audience of a single musical genre.
Two stages and Freedom Village
According to official festival information, performances will take place on two stages. In addition to the main Merriweather Post Pavilion stage, the complex also includes Chrysalis Stage, an open-air stage in Symphony Woods. The organizers have also announced Freedom Village, an area where nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, artists and community partners will participate. Its program is designed around civic engagement, education, local organizing, mutual aid and other forms of community involvement. In this way, Power to the People moves beyond the framework of a standard festival format in which content is almost entirely centered on concerts.
The organizers also state that a portion of the proceeds from all tickets sold, as well as all net proceeds from VIP tickets, will be directed to the organizations VoteRiders and HeadCount. VoteRiders provides information and assistance related to identification documents required by voters in the United States, while HeadCount carries out voter registration activities and provides information about participation in the electoral process at music and other events. According to the festival announcement, HeadCount will also be present at the event itself. When presenting the festival, the organizers emphasized that they want to connect the concert experience with opportunities for direct involvement in community activities.
Merriweather Post Pavilion between Washington and Baltimore
The festival will take place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland, in the area between Washington and Baltimore. The venue itself is part of the wider Symphony Woods area and, according to venue information, is surrounded by approximately 40 acres of parkland, or about 16 hectares. Merriweather Post Pavilion has operated for more than half a century and was designed by architect Frank Gehry; it was originally conceived as a home for the National Symphony Orchestra. Over the decades, numerous performers from different eras of popular music have appeared there, and the site has gradually been expanded with additional facilities and stages.
For Power to the People, according to the Merriweather Post Pavilion schedule, doors will open on October 3 at 12 p.m. local time, while the program is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. As of September 17, the official festival website marks the event as sold out, including both standard and VIP ticket categories. For audience members whose plans change, the organizers list an official face-value ticket exchange, intended to limit resale at higher prices. Visitors traveling to Columbia for the festival may find it useful to check accommodation offers in Columbia and the surrounding area in advance, especially because the event is taking place in the broader metropolitan area between two major cities.
Practical information for visitors
The festival website states that all ticket types provide access to both stages, while conditions differ depending on the section and category. Chrysalis Stage is designed as a general-admission area with standing room on the lawn, while certain zones in the main pavilion are designated for general admission, reserved seating or VIP access. The organizers also state that visitors have access to SkyLawn, an elevated area within the complex. According to festival and venue information, parking for concert visitors is not charged separately, and parking lots open one hour before the doors open.
Entry rules include a security inspection of bags. Permitted clear bags and backpacks must not exceed the dimensions published by the organizer, while professional cameras with interchangeable lenses, recording equipment, laser pointers and a number of other items are not allowed. Merriweather Post Pavilion does not allow re-entry after leaving, except in exceptional situations related to extreme weather conditions. Because part of the program takes place outdoors and on a grassy surface, the organizers recommend that visitors check the latest instructions on permitted items and venue conditions again immediately before the event.
A lineup that brings together multiple generations of music history
The addition of Stills, Butler, McCready, Ian and other performers gives the festival an even more pronounced intergenerational dimension. A single event will bring together musicians whose work stretches from the rock of the 1960s and 1970s through the hip-hop of the 1980s and alternative rock of the 1990s to performers who gained recognition in recent years. Such a lineup is important not only because of the number of well-known names, but also because it gives the audience an opportunity to see in one day performers who otherwise appear in very different concert settings. The festival's official description particularly emphasizes collaborative and special performances, suggesting a format more flexible than a series of completely separate standard sets, although specific combinations of performers have not yet been confirmed.
Power to the People will take place at a time when the main portion of the program is already sold out, while the latest additions to the lineup arrived only a little more than two weeks before the festival. According to the currently published list, alongside Morello and Springsteen the audience can expect Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Jack Black with accompanying musicians, Dropkick Murphys, Cypress Hill, Nathaniel Rateliff, Killer Mike, Serj Tankian, Stephen Stills, Mike McCready, Brittany Howard, Taylor Momsen, Geezer Butler, The Linda Lindas, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Matt Cameron, State Radio, Scott Ian, grandson, The Last Internationale, The Neighborhood Kids and a DJ set by Shepard Fairey. The organizers will publish final schedules and any additional changes through the festival's and venue's official channels.
Sources:
- Power to the People Festival - official website with the current list of performers, information about the sold-out event, two stages, Freedom Village and practical instructions (link)
- Power to the People Festival - official festival launch announcement dated May 28, 2026, initial lineup, event concept and donation information (link)
- Amica Center - September 16, 2026 announcement confirming new performers, including Stephen Stills, Geezer Butler and Nathaniel Rateliff (link)
- Merriweather Post Pavilion - official event page with the date, door-opening time, program start and information that the festival is sold out (link)
- Merriweather Post Pavilion - official information about the venue's history, Symphony Woods and architect Frank Gehry (link)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - information about Rage Against the Machine and the band's induction into the Hall of Fame in 2023 (link)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - information about Crosby, Stills and Nash and Stephen Stills (link)
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - information about Black Sabbath and Geezer Butler (link)