Concerts by nine musical acts on the National Mall were announced Wednesday as part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the country’s founding. That lineup has been whittled within days, however, with seven of the announced artists saying they would not perform, and two of them mentioning President Donald Trump in their announcements.
While the concerts at the “Great American State Fair” and other events for the celebration are being organized by Freedom 250, a nonpartisan group, rapper Young MC said artists weren’t made aware of the political involvement of the organizers. Trump has repeatedly touted the celebrations and his involvement in planning them.
“I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT,” the “Bust a Move” rapper wrote on Facebook. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, Spin magazine describes it as ‘Trump-backed.’ I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”
Milli Vanilli said in a statement posted on X that the original members would not appear at the event.
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“Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs,” the statement said.
Morris Day and The Time, a Minneapolis funk group, were the first to drop out.
“Contrary to rumors,” Day said in a Wednesday post, “Morris Day & the Time will not be performing at the ‘Great American State Fair.’”
“It’s A No For Me,” Day added in the post’s caption.
Freedom Williams, of C+C Music Factory, was also quick to post a seven-minute video in which he said he does not “fuck with Trump.”
Williams also claimed he was unaware of the association with Trump at the time he booked the show. In the video, he recounted going back to his agent and saying, “‘You didn’t say nothing about Trump. You didn’t mention Trump.’ … So I told my agent, ‘Yeah, no, I ain’t gonna be able to do that.’”
However, Williams responded to the backlash from the event by also saying the day he lets people tell him what to do is the day he “dies” and that he “just might” still do the show.
Martina McBride also dropped out of the event on Thursday, claiming she was misled.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading,” the country artist wrote in an Instagram post. “In my mind I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can,” McBride said, claiming that’s “not what is happening.”
The Commodores did not mention Trump’s name when announcing the band would no longer appear in the concert lineup, but politics were at the heart of their decision.
“The Commodores will not be performing at the Great American State Fair,” the band said in a statement on social media. “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.
Bret Michaels, the lead singer of the band Poison, said his shows “have never been about politics,” but that safety concerns had been raised for him, his band and crew that spurred him to withdraw from performing at the D.C. event.“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,” Michaels said in a statement posted to Instagram early Friday.
Just two of the artists announced — Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida — are still expected to perform.
The White House referred questions about the event to Freedom 250. Rachel Reisner, a spokesperson for Freedom 250, reiterated the organization’s nonpartisan status in a statement to NOTUS.
“Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans — welcoming all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America,” she said.
The artists’ withdrawals sparked discussion about the political nature of the events, but Freedom 250’s CEO, Keith Krach, previously stressed that the organization is nonpartisan, though he’s also said that Trump created the organization.
“President Donald J. Trump pledged that our nation’s 250th birthday would be celebrated in a way worthy of our history, our values, and our future,” Krach wrote on the homepage of his website. “To help realize that vision at national scale, he launched Freedom 250 — the nonpartisan organization created to lead this historic effort.”
This story was updated to include the Commodores’ and Bret Michaels’ statements.
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