She’s out.
This year is the 250th birthday for our great nation, and there are massive celebrations being planned for all around the country.
The celebrations are being planned by Freedom 250, which is a non-partisan organization responsible for putting together all the festivities, though Freedom 250 was launched by President Donald Trump to spearhead his specific vision for the 250th anniversary events, so many debate whether or not the entity itself is truly “non-partisan,” which has led several artists to drop out of performing at the Great American State Fair.
It is a national exposition bringing together all 50 states for a World’s Fair-style celebration featuring live entertainment, exhibits, patriotic tributes, innovation showcases, cultural programming, and other attractions from around the country.
The event will be hosted in Washington, D.C. from June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall, and earlier this week Freedom 250 announced the first round of headliners who will be performing at the celebration, and the originally announced headliners included Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, The Commodores, Vanilla Ice, Young MC, Morris Day and The Time, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels, and Milli Vanilli.
And immediately after the lineup was announced, Morris Day and The Time and Young MC both announced that they were backing out of the event, with Young MC claiming that the artists “were never told about any political involvement” in the fair:
“Despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as ‘Trump-backed.’ I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”
The Commodores also announced this afternoon that they would not be performing, and Milli Vanilli issued a bizarre statement that said none of the original members would be performing at the event (one of them’s dead anyway), so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on there.
The event is Trump-backed, because he’s the president right now, though I’m not surprised in the least to see some artists backing out after receiving public backlash, and one of the most heavily-criticized was Martina McBride, who has now backed out as well following online controversy over her involvement.
The “Independence Day” singer took to Instagram just a little while ago to share that she will no longer be performing at the event, saying she was “misled” over what it really was and telling fans that she “asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event” before signing herself up.
McBride added that she’s spent her “entire career singing songs about real people with real issues,” saying that she feels she is a “voice for those who have felt like this didn’t have one” and she is upset to think any fan who has been moved by her music feels as though she’s “abandoning” the meaning behind her songs:
“I would like to talk to you and clear the air. I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading. I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states and also bring people together in a way that only music can.
I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs I have performed at over the years, celebrating community and what makes each state special. Sounds fun, right? Wholesome even. Yesterday, things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening. I’ve spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn’t have one. It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case. I appreciate every single fan who has reached out. I hope to get back to the DC area very soon.”
The reason people are upset is of course because Donald Trump is associated with the event insofar as he is our president at the time it’s going on, but this is a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, meant to showcase all 50 states and the best that our country has to offer. In today’s charged political world though, it’s not surprising that people were upset with any given performer on the line up… no matter what any artist does, or what side of the aisle they’re on, people are going to get upset about it. That’s sadly just the world we live in now, and I personally find it very unfortunate, but I digress…
McBride generally stays out of politics, though she has publicly supported left-leaning causes in the past like Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ advocacy, and she has also “liked” several posts indicating that she identifies with the left, for whatever that’s worth.
It sounds like McBride wasn’t necessarily prepared for the backlash, and honestly, at this point in her career, she can do whatever she wants and it certainly wasn’t a make-or-break gig… the rest of the line up that has been released so far is nothing to write home about in my humble opinion: