Neil Young, Joan Baez & Maggie Rogers Perform at ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Rally

Neil Young, Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers shared the stage at a Bernie Sanders’ Fighting Oligarchy rally over the weekend, delivering a powerful, multi-generational performance of Young’s protest anthem “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

The moment took place on Saturday (April 12) at the political rally hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at Los Angeles’ Grand Park. The event, which centered on anti-corporate messaging and grassroots political reform, also featured solo sets from all three artists.

Young, who closed out the rally, began his brief performance with “Rainbow of Colors,” a song from his 2019 album Colorado, before launching into “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

Midway through the song, Baez and Rogers walked onstage to join him, taking turns on vocals and leading chants of “Power to the people” and “Take America back” between verses.

Baez, who recently marked her return to public performance following her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2023, also performed a five-song solo set earlier in the evening. Her selections were all covers, beginning with “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Me ’Round,” a Freedom Singers civil rights anthem. She followed with Phil Ochs’ “There But for Fortune” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Toward the end of her set, Baez was joined by Rogers for renditions of “America the Beautiful” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” It marked a rare public musical appearance for Baez, who formally retired from full-length touring in 2019.

Rogers, who released her sophomore album Surrender in 2022, recently teased new music on social media and has continued to appear at benefit concerts and politically focused events.

Sanders has been very vocal in his disdain for the Trump administration’s controversial tariff policies. During a CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, Sanders lambasted Trump’s pugilistic approach to foreign policy, saying, “We don’t have to hate China. We don’t have to hate other people. Let’s figure out a way to work together.”

Young, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, first released “Rockin’ in the Free World” in 1989 on his album Freedom, and has performed it across decades of political moments. In 2020, the rocker filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over Trump’s unauthorized use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” at campaign events.