Only a few acts remain a part of the “Great American State Fair” later this month—which is being held as part of the Trump administration's “Freedom 250” celebrations—with only Vanilla Ice enthusiastically confirming his participation.
Vanilla Ice confirmed Friday he will perform at the fair.
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
It remains unclear if the three other remaining acts—Flo Rida, C+C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli—will participate, with Flo Rida not commenting as C+C frontman Freedom Williams and members of Milli Vanilli send conflicting signals on whether they will participate or not.
Poison frontman Bret Michaels announced his decision to pull out in a long Instagram post, saying the event was originally described to him as a “celebration of our country through music” and a chance to honor “hardworking Americans from all walks of life.”
Country singer Martina McBride also announced her plan to drop out in a lengthy social media statement saying she was initially asked to “perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”
The Commodores made the announcement across their social media profiles, saying in a statement they will not “publicly affiliate with any single political party.”
Michaels said his shows have “never been about politics,” and “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.” The singer noted that concerns were also raised about the safety of his “fans, band, crew, family and myself” and “completely unfounded and unforgivable” threats were made. Michaels added: “This isn't about politics…Everyone is entitled to their own opinions…But as a father, friend and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.”
McBride said she believed the event was going to be “just a bigger version of so many state fairs” she’s performed at and something “wholesome” but “Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening.” She added: “I've spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues…It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I'm abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case.”
The lineup for the event, announced by Freedom 250 on Wednesday, still includes Vanilla Ice, and Flo Rida, with tentative performances from C+C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli. On Thursday, Vanilla Ice put out a video on his Instagram page talking about how honored and excited he was to perform at the event. In the caption he wrote: “I’m tired of all the news channels dividing this country…This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday. Nothing too serious, just enjoying some fun, dancing and great memories.” The rapper doubled down on his attendance in a Friday interview with TMZ, saying he would even perform for former President Joe Biden or Russian President Vladimir Putin. Flo Rida has yet to publicly confirm his performance at the fair as users across his social media pages have left comments blasting the rapper or asking him if he’ll drop out, too.
The Great American State Fair is free, though organizers have encouraged those interested in attending to register for tickets ahead of time. The fair is one of several events being spearheaded by a task force created by Trump for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. In addition to the music performances, the celebration in Washington, D.C., will include speeches, flyovers and a “breathtaking fireworks finale,” according to the Freedom 250 website. While not a direct competitor to the fair’s own concert series, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello announced Thursday a “Power To The People Festival” scheduled for October in Maryland, near the nation’s capital. Performers for the event include Bruce Springsteen, the Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian, Cypress Hill and Killer Mike. Tickets for the event start at $125.
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