Plans for a concert series meant to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary have hit a snag as many of the featured artists have opted out of performing. Initially, a lineup for the “Great American State Fair” included well-known names such as Martina McBride, The Commodores, Bret Michaels, and Young MC, famous for “Bust a Move.” However, shortly after announcing their participation on May 27, most of these acts withdrew or disassociated themselves from the event.
Artists like Martina McBride, Young MC, and members of C+C Music Factory expressed concerns that the event, billed as nonpartisan, might not uphold that promise. McBride stated in a public announcement, “I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event, but that turned out to be misleading,” explaining her decision to back out.
By the start of June, only Flo Rida and Vanilla Ice remained committed to the lineup. In response to the dwindling roster, former President Donald Trump revealed plans to host a kickoff rally for the Great American State Fair on June 24, stepping in to fill the void left by the departing artists. He announced that the rally would feature performances by Lee Greenwood, known for “God Bless the U.S.A.,” opera singer Christopher Macchio, and several U.S. military bands and choirs.
In a statement about the changes, Trump unveiled the new lineup for what he called the Freedom 250 rally, asserting, “We don’t want singers with no talent,” as he introduced the fresh slate of performers.
Why did artists back out?
As suggested by statements from some of the aforementioned artists, the performers who backed out of the concert series had taken issue with how the event was presented to them by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by the Trump administration to plan celebrations surrounding the nation’s semiquincentennial, including the Great American State Fair.
Freedom 250 describes itself as a “nonpartisan” organization, but President Trump is the chair of the task force that created the initiative, while Vice President JD Vance is the vice chair. Freedom 250 has also labeled Trump as “the visionary” behind the upcoming fair.
Trump himself has also supplemented the official announcements from Freedom 250 spokespeople on his Truth Social account, most recently when he voiced support for canceling the Great American State Fair concert series, and later when he announced a June 24 kickoff rally featuring an appearance from “a fine and highly dignified gentleman” he revealed to be himself.
A company tasked with organizing some of Freedom 250’s events, called Event Strategies Inc., has also come under scrutiny; Freedom 250 is reported to be the company that organized Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, according to The New York Times, though no one at the company was accused of any wrongdoing. Event Strategies in 2025 was later awarded multi-million dollar contracts by the Trump administration to plan events in D.C., the outlet reported.
A representative for Freedom 250 was not immediately available to comment on Event Strategies’ involvement in the Great American State Fair or its kickoff on June 24.
Freedom 250 is also a separate organization from America250, a nonprofit semiquincentennial commission created in 2016 to oversee and plan events surrounding the country’s upcoming anniversary. America250’s leadership is also appointed by Congress, and is partially comprised of equal numbers of Republican and Democrat lawmakers.
Is the Freedom 250 concert series still happening?
As of Monday, Freedom 250 had not specified whether any of its previously announced concerts — namely Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida’s performances — were still proceeding as planned. Vanilla Ice (aka Robert Van Winkle) said in recent days that even he was unsure if he was still scheduled to perform.
“I hope so,” he said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” “I don’t even know. I’m here marinating. But I’m honored to even be invited for this.”
Freedom 250 also maintains that the upcoming Great American State Fair, to be held between June 25 and July 11, will be a celebration for “all Americans.”
“From blue ribbon events and military flyovers to movie nights, the Great American State Fair will be a safe, secure, and enjoyable event for all ages — welcoming all who share our goal of commemorating this milestone in a way that uplifts and unites America,” Freedom 250 spokeswoman Julia Friedland said.