Bruce Springsteen & Tom Morello, Power to the People Festival, October 3, 2026

Disclaimer: This is from the webcast and not from in-person attendance

I was not expecting a lot from Springsteen's performance at this event. The way it was originally announced made it sound like Bruce would come on, do a song or two acoustic, make some guest appearances, and that's it. But by the time the Dropkick Murphys were on and there were no backwards-tilted amps anywhere to be found on that stage, and the 'UP NEXT' chryon said "Bruce Springsteen & Tom Morello," things were getting interesting.

Plus everyone, from Ken Casey to Dave Grohl, made sure to mention "There's a lot more coming up." But even that could have just been one of those lame "all-star jam" kind of things where everyone comes out and sings "Imagine" or something similarly weaksauce.

Morello introduces Bruce by saying that when he was on tour with him once, about three hours in, Bruce asked the audience "Are you ready to get this party started?" and so, at 11pm, Morello asked the audience the same question. "Power to the People, are you ready to get this party started? My good friend, Mr. Bruce Springsteen."

Bruce walked out carrying an acoustic guitar with a harp rack, wearing what sure looked like a Canadian tuxedo, dark overdyed blue denim workshirt and jeans. He introduced "Streets of Minneapolis" much the same way he had introduced it on the LOHAD tour this Spring; this was not a dedicated Springsteen audience (although, undoubtably, a healthy contingent was there) so there was really no need to say anything different. Merriweather Post Pavilion acquitted themselves more than adequately with their chants of ICE OUT NOW. Well done.

Okay, it'll be another acoustic number, you think, when he finishes the song and Kevin comes out toting another acoustic. "I'd like to bring out a woman--"

OMG HOLY SHIT

"...who has been a fighting and positive voice for social change, for justice and equality, in every decade, since the 1960s."

NOPE WAS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

"Ladies and gentlemen, one of my great inspirations, Joan Baez."

And then it sure sounded like "Chimes of Freedom" but there's no way he's going to sing "Chimes" with Joan fucking Baez? But that is exactly what happens next. He sang the first two lines and that's when I yelled "HOLY FUCK," which I know because I'd hit record on my phone so I didn't have to manually transcribe any spoken remarks.

Springsteen began with the first few lines, and then Joan came in on harmony, that classic Baez harmonizing through the chorus. Then she took the beginning of the next verse, then Bruce took the next few lines, and then the harmonies again. I know they obviously rehearsed it but this is Joan Baez herself singing Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" and she, as you know, is familiar with the material.

Listening to the two of them sing, trading lines, the song that means so much to him, that was such a cornerstone of the last tour, of his career, and the strength and comfort of their harmonies grew and expanded as they moved through the song. You felt the weight of the history they brought and created in that moment. They smiled and exchanged hugs, the look on Bruce's face said everything, the gratitude, appreciating a job well done, of this chance to sing with another one of the heroes of our culture. Like, he is not immune to that kind of glimmer! (Nor should he be.)

Just when the little halo of stars like in the cartoons had subsided, Bruce is putting on an electric guitar and there's Morello's band, The Freedom Fighter Orchestra, and what are we gonna do now?? It's never not great to hear "Clampdown." It also can be interesting to see Bruce play with an established band that's not E Street and to consider what that might mean should any member of the E Street Band decide they might wish to retire from touring (may that day be many many years in the future).

That majestic, almost orchestral initial crash, and it's time for "Ghost of Tom Joad," which of course makes all the sense in the world that they'd do it here. It was interesting to watch Bruce watch Morello lead his band, how there was a slight change of energy, it's not that Bruce doesn't have ego but he's got tremendous respect for Morello and he's 77 and some of that is tempered.

After that first verse, where Morello's band came stampeding in, it was just as enormous and impactful as E Street; energetically, they absolutely managed to manifest the right feeling, the right tone. The guitar duel was as magnificent as ever, not as great as the solo interludes for GOTJ on the LOHAD tour but that was only because by that point in the show they had already generated so much forward momentum and also simply because those interludes on that tour were otherworldly, full stop. But this was still pretty great!

Morello invites out Dave Matthews and Nathaniel Rateliff, and you know, at these kinds of shows sometimes the guest stars aren't quite as impactful as they have the potential to be. But this is going to be "Fortunate Son," Morello's band is cooking with gas, and while I just don't think this song was a good match for Dave Matthews' vocal strengths, he acquitted himself admirably.

On the other hand, Rateliff already operates on a wavelength that's closer to CCR and he was intent and focused; Bruce's expression when he was done made it clear that he appreciated and approved of Rateliff's delivery. The band was great; the instrumentals were emphatic, driving; they ended the song sharply, no attempt to do the Fogerty multiple false ending thing that we suffered through on Vote for Change (which would have been Bruce's fault if it had been there)

Then it was time to bring out the other Dave: Grohl. Guitars are donned. Again, the potential for trainwreckage is high, and then it is the song I initially thought was going to be in place of "Fortunate Son," Neil Young's "Rocking In The Free World," offered in the Pearl Jam arrangement, which is by this point canon if you're doing a hard rock version of RITFW. Bruce took the first verse, kind of singing between the notes, but it was strong and got us to the chorus. Then Grohl took the next verse. And then...

Morello: "Bruce Springsteen, lead guitar!"

I have seen Bruce Springsteen play a lot of guitar solos but I have never seen him play a solo that sounds like Neil Young – while still absolutely being a Bruce Springsteen guitar solo. Neil is heavier, deeper, sharper in movement, often – usually – darker. And somehow Bruce managed to reference all of that. Morello was right there, hyping him on the same way Bruce hypes him on his stage. Bruce had an enormous, satisfied grin when he was done, like he knew he killed it but that he also had an amazing time while doing it.

"If you played today's show--" Morello calls out everyone who's backstage, and everyone who appeared during the course of the day comes onstage. "Up next is a song by the great Woody Guthrie," he announces, and there is not one person watching or who was there who didn't know that the next song was going to be "This Land Is Your Land." Morello declares that we're going to sing all of the verses, even the censored ones.

This is another moment that could have been an enormous, sloppy trainwreck, and it was definitely large and chaotic but they put thought into it. Bruce gets a verse, Jam Master Jay and Grandson each rapped a verse, Morello took the censored verse. Then it's "Power To The People," during which you could feel the relief and the relaxation of everyone onstage. Morello thanks the musicians and the crew and the venue staff who put the thing on. When Morello asked everyone to put their fist in the air and jump, everyone put their fist in the air and jumped, and that included Bruce Springsteen.

No lingering, the song ended, they played "Bella Ciao" over the PA, and the day was over. I watched more of it than I expected to and appreciated the sets from the Linda Lindas, Grandson, State Radio and the Dropkick Murphys. The "Sons of Soundgarden" tribute with Matt Cameron, Mike McCready and Taylor Momsen was spectacular.

But Bruce Springsteen ended up being a true headliner and I especially appreciated that he didn't come out and play a set of Springsteen songs with other musicians. The cover choices were perfect, "Streets of Minneapolis" for a larger/different audience is important, and everyone deserved the chance to see that supernatural "Ghost of Tom Joad," which was more about his friendship and working relationship with Morello, the guy whose name was on the festival. Bruce could have come out and played a handful of songs with an acoustic guitar and people would have been thrilled. Instead he once again exceeded expectations. I'm not going to get over "Chimes of Freedom" with Joan Baez any time soon and I wasn't even physically there.