The Freedom 250 concert series, pitched as a "Great American State Fair" to take place on the National Mall over 16 days in July, looks like an enjoyable American birthday boozathon featuring a variety of contemporary and oldschool musical acts. When its Trump connections became clear, though, the scheduled acts started dropping off the roster. To quote Ernest Hemingway, it happened slowly, then all at once. Now even Bret Michaels doesn't want to be seen there.
Artists including Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores, Poison frontman Bret Michaels and country singer Martina McBride have all since said they will not be participating.
The organiser, Freedom 250, has denied the fair is politically affiliated, and said that while it respected artists' decisions to withdraw, it is non-partisan.
It has said it is a nonprofit "dedicated to uniting Americans around the nation's 250th anniversary".
Freedom 250 was launched last year by the Trump administration
Many of the acts said they were misled about the event's political affiliations. Some presumably thought they were dealing with America250, which has broader support and is organizing events across the country.
Milli Vanilli is one of the latest acts to bow out, reports USA Today. Vanity Fair's Erin Vanderhoff looked at who was left and cooked the subheading of the day: "The Trump-affiliated concert series is skating on Vanilla Ice."
At this rate, they'll have to wheel the animatronic Chuck E Cheese House Band out of storage just to have something to put on stage.
P.S. Bruce Springsteen is planning a festival later this year that might welcome a few more acts!
