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Bret Michaels became the latest act to drop out of Trump’s Freedom 250 bash Thursday night, citing threats as more than half the lineup has now exited.
The lineup has collapsed by more than half. Bret Michaels, frontman of Poison, became the latest performer to pull out of the Great American State Fair on Thursday night, citing threats and the event’s “divisive” turn, leaving fewer than half of Freedom 250‘s originally announced acts still attached.
The Washington Post counted the exits. The paper’s tally of the more-than-half departures and Bret Michaels’ threat-citation withdrawal reports that the Poison vocalist was the latest to walk, joining a list that now includes Morris Day and The Time, Young MC, The Commodores, Martina McBride, and the original Milli Vanilli camp.
Michaels framed the exit as a safety call. “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 wrote in a lengthy Instagram post.
The threats were the second half of the statement. “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 added, referencing his originally scheduled July 3 performance.
Two acts have publicly committed to playing. CBS News’s cast-by-cast confirmation of the artists still attached and the Fab Morvan and Vanilla Ice statements reports that Fab Morvan, the surviving on-stage member of Milli Vanilli, has confirmed he will perform June 26 as part of the I Love The 90’s Tour.
Morvan’s statement was unifying in tone. “I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,” he told CBS, dismissing the rumors of his withdrawal and saying he was “honored” to be part of the anniversary event.
The Milli Vanilli situation is now formally split. The Rocco sisters, who perform as the Real Milli Vanilli, separately told the Associated Press they had never been contacted and were not appearing, leaving Morvan to carry the name on the festival stage.
Vanilla Ice was the other firm commitment. The rapper’s management told CBS he “is contracted and will perform at the Great American Fair at the National Mall on Friday, June 26,” with a statement saying he is “proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary.”
The remaining bill is thin. Vanilla Ice, Morvan, and Flo Rida are the publicly confirmed acts as of Thursday night, with the C+C Music Factory situation still contested between touring frontman Freedom Williams and cofounder Robert Clivillés.
USA Today put numbers on the timeline. The paper’s running cancellation tracker with each artist’s originally scheduled date and exit timing notes that McBride was set for June 25, Young MC and the C+C Music Factory touring edition for June 26, Morris Day for June 27, and Michaels for July 3.
McBride’s exit Thursday set the template Michaels later followed. The country singer said she was told the event would be nonpartisan but that “that turned out to be misleading,” echoing the procedural complaints from Young MC and Morris Day earlier in the week.
Freedom 250 has held its line publicly. Spokesperson Rachel Reisner said the organization is “dedicated to uniting Americans” and welcomes “all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America,” repeating the nonpartisan framing the departing artists have disputed.
The 16-day Great American State Fair is scheduled to run June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall. The promoters have under four weeks to either re-book the empty slots or absorb a sharply reduced bill at the country’s 250th-anniversary marquee event.
For Bret Michaels, the safety angle made the exit different from the rest. His statement, with its reference to threats against his band and family, is the first to introduce a security argument into a story that had previously been about politics and presentation.
The artists still on the bill are now the question. Whether Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida, and Morvan can carry a 16-day, multi-stage marquee event between them, or whether the late-stage replacements arrive in time, will define what actually happens on the Mall in June.
