Wave of withdrawals from anniversary concerts associated with Trump. More than half of the artists originally announced will not be participating
The series of concerts within the “Freedom 250”, events organized on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the USA, is marked by withdrawals, according to AFP.
Rocker Bret Michael and country music star Martina McBride announced Friday that they will not be attending the events, after the Commodores and two other bands made similar decisions.
Thus, only four of the nine names announced on Wednesday for the concerts from June 25 to July 10, at the National Mall in Washington, were still valid on Friday. It's Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, Flo Rida and surviving band member Milli Vanilli.
Michaels, lead singer of the 1980s band Poison, known for the song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” announced on Facebook Friday that he had made the “difficult decision to retire from this show.”
“My shows have never been about politics. They're about giving people a place to come together, have fun and forget about the stresses of life for a few hours,” he said.
“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 artist added.
“The opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event turned out to be misleading”
Freedom 250 organizers say they are politically nonpartisan, but Trump has tried to put his stamp on the events, most notably by holding a UFC mixed martial arts gala at a purpose-built venue on the White House lawn on June 14, his birthday.
Country singer McBride has announced that she too will not be taking part in the concerts.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event, but it turned out to be a scam,” she told her fans in a post on X.
Michaels and McBride join a list of artists who have announced they are pulling out or denied rumors of participation, such as rapper Young MC, Morris Day and the Time and the Commodores.
