“I was dreaming in my dreaming … I awakened to the cry/that the people have the power to redeem the work of fools,” Patti Smith declared in “People Have the Power,” which was co-written by her late husband, MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and appeared on her 1988 album, Dream of Life. The uplifting exhortation is a fitting anthem for L.A. Philharmonic’s “Power to the People!” festival, which begins on Thursday, March 5, when co-curators Herbie Hancock and Gustavo Dudamel kick out the jams with L.A. Phil in musical tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. and Angela Davis. Smith’s rhapsodic words and prayer-like lyrics should take on extra resonance inside Disney Hall. The singer’s winter set lists have included covers of The Beatles (“Mother Nature’s Son”), Neil Young (“After the Gold Rush”) and Lou Reed (“Perfect Day”).

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; Fri., March 6, 8 p.m.; $40-$125. (323) 850-2000, www.laphil.com/events/performances/901/2020-03-06/power-to-the-people-patti-smith-and-her-band.

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