Just days after concert details were released as part of the Great American State Fair celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday, most of the musical artists have publicly expressed their intention not to perform.
Freedom 250, the Trump-launched organization leading the celebration, released an outline on Wednesday detailing the “first round of star-studded entertainment & activations” [sic]. Beginning June 25, the 16-day national exposition on the National Mall is set to consist of “live entertainment, immersive exhibits, patriotic tributes, innovation showcases, cultural programming, and family-friendly attractions.”
‘It is inherently nonpolitical. It is a celebration of our country.’
Nine artists appeared on the list shared by Freedom 250: Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, Young MC, Flo Rida, Morris Day and the Time, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, and the Commodores.
But just as quickly as Freedom 250 announced the lineup, it started to crumble.
Morris Day and the Time was the first act to disclose intentions to step away. The band’s official Facebook page posted, “Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR,’” captioning the post with a simple “It’s A No For Me.”
Only a few hours later, Young MC posted on his Facebook profile, saying, “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is nonpartisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed.”
The Commodores and Martina McBride followed suit by announcing similarly on their Instagram and X accounts respectively that they “will not be performing at the Great American State Fair.”
“[The Commodores] choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”
McBride went on to claim that she “was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”
Bret Michaels posted on his Instagram profile that “what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive.” Michaels also cited concerns over the safety of his “fans, band, crew, family, and myself.”
“Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.”
RELATED: America at 250
Construction ahead of the Rededicate 250 and Great American State Fair events on the National Mall.Al Drago/Washington Post/Getty Images
Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory uploaded a lengthy video to his Instagram account during which he ranted about the heavy public backlash he received after his involvement in the event was announced. He initially claimed his booking agent “didn’t mention Trump” and therefore he planned to back out: “So I told my agent, yeah, nah, I ain’t gonna be able to do that.”
Yet Williams spent most of the seven-minute, 13-second recording brazenly criticizing those who threatened to “cancel” him: “The day I let you motherf**kers tell me what to do is the day I die.”
He added, “F**k Trump and f**k you too, but I just might do it,” leaving his attendance up for debate.
Founding member of C+C Music Factory Robert Clivilles clarified his own position on X: “I was neither involved in, consulted regarding, nor have I endorsed the event. Any political, ideological, religious, or personal viewpoints expressed by Freedom Williams are his own and should not be interpreted as reflecting my views.”
As for Milli Vanilli, the “real vocalists” announced through a Facebook press release that they too will not be performing, stating, “Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band.”
However, Fab Morvan, one side of the original duo group, said in a statement sent to Consequence that he “feel[s] honored to be a part of the Great American State Fair.”
Also still confirmed to appear is Vanilla Ice, with his management agency telling NBC News that the artist “is contracted and will perform at the Great American Fair.”
“He is proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary!”
A spokeswoman for Freedom 250 hit back at these recent developments in an interview with The Hill columnist Judy Kurtz on Friday morning: “It is inherently nonpolitical. It is a celebration of our country.”
She added, “We have a president that wants to celebrate 250 years of America … and that’s how it was sold to performers.”
Flo Rida did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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