As a part of the upcoming 250th anniversary events being planned in Washington, D.C. is “The Great American State Fair” with numerous musical performances.
The event is scheduled to run from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall and is being billed as non-partisan.
The White House released the first batch of performers including Martina McBride, Flor Rida, Vanilla Ice, Morris Day and the Time, Milli Vinilli, Bret Michaels, Young MC, and the Commodores.
The list had barely been released, when artists began announcing that they weren’t going to perform at an event that was surely politicized.
The announcement had barely been made when artists started posting on social media that they would NOT be performing at the event. To date Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, Morris Day, Young MC, and the Commodores have withdrawn from the event.
However, the surviving member of the duo Milli Vinilli – Fab Morvan – has said, “I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them. Let’s celebrate life and music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists.”
Vanilla Ice has also stated that he will perform at the event.
With the numerous cancellations, the White House has stepped in and announced on social media that he “would be holding a campaign rally on Wednesday to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate ‘Artists.'”
He added that he would, “give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!”
Apparently there are two different organizations planning events for the celebrations. Congress has established “America 250”; while the White House has formed “Freedom 250”.
Freedom 250 Spokeswoman Rachel Reisne spoke on the event via statement saying, “The Great American State Fair is a celebration of all Americans, and Freedom 250 remains fully committed to delivering a once-in-a-lifetime experience that brings every corner of this country together on the National Mall. We respect the rights of any artist to make their own decisions, and our doors remain open to any performer who wants to be part of honoring 250 years of American freedom, culture, and unity.”
Some of the artist who were scheduled to perform have stated that they were never told about the political element in the program or were led to believe politics were involved.
Bret Michaels noted, “when this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life. 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. Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”
The Commodores added, “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.”