Singer Bruce Springsteen announced plans for an anti-Trump “Power to the People Festival” while performing at Nationals Park on Wednesday as part of a nationwide tour. The rock musician is known for his activism against the Trump administration and will perform alongside headliners including Tom Morello, Dave Matthews Band, and Foo Fighters on Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
Standing beside fellow musician and activist Tom Morello, Springsteen said the pair will return to the Washington area for “another night of music and resistance” and said elected leaders have failed citizens.
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“This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people,” Springsteen told the crowd. “There is no one coming to save us. We’ve got to do it ourselves. So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love. Do you hear me, Washington?”
Springsteen said the Trump administration is destroying the “American idea” by undermining democracy, NATO, and the world order that he sees as having kept Americans safe and at global peace over the past 80 years.
The singer’s anti-Trump speech ended with a call to “let them hear you in the f***ing White House.” Springsteen performed a memorial song dedicated to protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis in January.
Morello, the festival’s curator, said the deaths of Good and Pretti compelled him and other musicians to host the festival. The festival’s website states that a portion of all VIP ticket proceeds will benefit VoteRiders, an organization whose mission is to “eliminate ID barriers to the ballot box,” and HeadCount, a “nonpartisan” nonprofit that has registered over 1.7 million voters since launching in 2004.
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Tickets begin at $125 for general, standing-room-only admission. The pricy $1,500 Robinhood Package provides access to an exclusive VIP Suite, balcony, and concierge service, with all VIP proceeds donated to nonprofit organizations “fighting for human rights and social justice,” per the website.
This is far from the first time Springsteen has sparred with Trump. Last year, the singer released an anti-Trump concert speech for streaming, while Trump has referred to Springsteen as a “bad and very boring singer who looks like a dried-up prune” on Truth Social, and called for his supporters to “BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK.”
