Power To The People

Carol and I watched the Power To The People Concert yesterday.

It chipped a small piece of ice from my heart, a heart that feels hopeless. It was good to see so many people with the same fears and disgust with this government gathered together in a spirit of defiance and commitment. And love of and belief in the power of music.

It was good to hear musicians ripping this government apart, quite vocally, from the stage. It needed to be done.

Many of the musicians who played were young - they played loud and they played fast. It was good to see young people speaking up, some of whom are too young to vote. We are not gonna win this thing with just the old folks - it will take everyone.

Joan Baez was there. Stephen Stills. Bruce Springsteen. Their participation was poignant to people my age. Also, a bit heartbreaking.

Joan Baez is 85 years old. Stephen Stills is 81 years old. They have been there before. They were outspoken in the sixties and still are today. Stills wrote For What It's Worth. The song was released in 1966.

Google it. Listen to it, pay attention to the lyrics. The song is as relevant today as it was then. Unfortunately.

Joan and Stephen could have been up there in a state of despair or frustration, to have to do this all again. Instead they showed the fighting spirit of people who believe in their souls that this country is its every-day people, not its politicians and billionaires. They are still up for the fight.

It was curated by Tom Morello. He was spectacular. In the way he orchestrated the whole thing from start to finish, and in the passionate way he played and sang. The man is a stunningly good guitar player. He has been passionately outspoken against injustice for his entire career. This concert was a perfect vehicle for him. And he got to play alongside his son - Roman Morello, who is 15 years old and is already a spectacular guitar virtuoso.

The most straight-ahead outspoken group there was The Dropkick Murphys. They were delightfully blunt. And they rocked the house - made it jump, got the audience up and rockin'.

Speaking for my generation, there was some emptiness there too. My generation kicked ass and tried hard to bring about change in the 60's and 70's. We got some stuff done. Most of it has been reversed, and most of us went on to become accountants. We were undermined, squashed, and defeated.

Heartbreaking, because the spirit was genuine. This country needed change and we tried hard to get it done. But, ultimately, the bad guys won.

Now it is worse than ever. The threat is even more dire and it is very real, with a good chance of succeeding. 

Success meaning the death of democracy.

That concert blew gently on the dying embers of democracy. It was hopeful. It was honest and blunt. It highlighted an awareness that there are tens of millions of people in this country who believe their government should protect them, and help them to survive in their daily lives.

Tyranny is not going to make that happen. Tyranny will do exactly the opposite. It has already started.

This fight feels like shoveling shit against the tide. Greed and viciousness are blood-sport in this country. People enjoy seeing other people suffer.

This fight also feels like life or death. It is.

Things need to turn around before Joan Baez, Stephen Stills and Bruce Springsteen are gone. They deserve to see that, considering how hard and how long they have fought to make it happen.

Things need to turn around for all Americans before they lose control over their own lives, before their life is no longer their own.