Over half of Great American State Fair performers drop out over politics, threats
The latest performer to announce his withdrawal is Poison singer Bret Michaels.
More than half the performers slated for the Great American State Fair concert series to be held this summer on the National Mall have pulled out, citing the event’s political associations.
The latest act to drop out is Bret Michaels, the vocalist for hair-metal band Poison, citing threats and the event’s “divisive” response.
“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,” Michaels said in a statement posted to social media.
The singer went on to note that “Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”
Michaels follows country singer-songwriter Martina McBride, who wrote Thursday on social media that she was “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.” She said she was bowing out of her June 25 performance after hearing from fans who feel like she’s “abandoning the meaning” of her music. Rapper Young MC, known for his 1989 single “Bust a Move,” shared a similar explanation on Facebook.
Freedom 250, the organization created to plan semiquincentennial events by an executive order from President Donald Trump, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House declined to comment, noting that it wasn’t organizing the event.
The Commodores, who won a Grammy for their single “Nightshift” in 1986, said, “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party” in a social media post noting they too wouldn’t be a part of the Freedom 250 event. “We support the betterment of all Americans.”
Morris Day posted on Instagram that “contrary to rumor,” he and his funk band the Time would not be performing. “It’s A No For Me,” Day added.
Pop rap artist Flo Rida hasn’t commented on his plans. But a few of the acts announced as part of the Great American State Fair’s lineup Wednesday have publicly said they’re still taking part. Vanilla Ice said in an Instagram post that he’s “super honored to do this concert with everybody.” He noted: “We’re going to bring back the nineties!”
Milli Vanilli member Fab Morvan told the AP that he would be performing, although the band’s vocalists said elsewhere that they wouldn’t appear, describing Morvan’s shows as a Milli Vanilli “tribute band.”
C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams posted a now-deleted video to Instagram in which he said he said he thought about pulling out but decided he would still perform in defiance of the backlash.
Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, and C+C Music Factory are slated to perform June 26.