{"id":3959,"date":"2026-05-29T14:34:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/freedom-250-festival-lineup-changes-who-backed-out-whos-still-in\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:34:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:34:34","slug":"freedom-250-festival-lineup-changes-who-backed-out-whos-still-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/freedom-250-festival-lineup-changes-who-backed-out-whos-still-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom 250 festival lineup changes: Who backed out, who&#8217;s still in"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F05%2F129077411.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The lineup for the Freedom 250 concert series celebrating America\u2019s milestone birthday is continuing to dwindle as artists drop out.<\/p>\n<p>The President Trump-affiliated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/freedom250.org\/news\/first-round-of-star-studded-entertainment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Freedom 250 Presents: The Great American State Fair<\/a> is a free 16-day festival set to take over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., running from June 25 to July 10.<\/p>\n<p>Although the event was originally described as a patriotic celebration with concerts and military tributes, several artists claimed they were misled and no longer align with its values.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Several artists have dropped out of the President Trump-affiliated\u00a0Freedom 250 Presents: The Great American State Fair.  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The event is set to take over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., running from June 25 to July 10 in honor of America\u2019s 250th birthday. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Bret Michaels, Martina McBride and more artists are among those backing out.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, others have doubled down on their upcoming performances and proudly stated they are still part of the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>Country music legend Martina McBride <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/29\/entertainment\/martina-mcbride-quits-freedom-250-festival-meant-to-celebrate-americas-birthday\/\">announced she was pulling out<\/a> of the Freedom 250 concert series on May 28, saying that the event is \u201cmisleading.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI 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,\u201d she wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>The songwriter claimed that she was \u201cassured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,\u201d but that \u201cthings started changing\u201d and it became clear to her that was not the case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Martina McBride (pictured in 2021) claimed the event is \u201cmisleading\u201d and dropped out on May 28. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>In her statement, she insisted that she only wants her music to \u201cbring people together\u201d and that this event did not align with that. <span class=\"credit\">MARTINA MCBRIDE\/ X<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn my mind I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the 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,\u201d she penned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve spent my entire career singing about real people with real issues. I\u2019ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I\u2019m abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI appreciate every single fan who has reached out. I hope to get back to the DC area very soon,\u201d McBride concluded.<\/p>\n<p>McBride had been scheduled to perform on June 25, the opening night of the festival.<\/p>\n<p>Bret Michaels also announced his exit from the festival on May 28. The former Poison frontman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY6M0UYlRXh\/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted a message on Instagram<\/a> addressed to all of his \u201cfriends and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the son of a veteran, and coming from a family that has proudly served, that is something I have always been honored to support,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bret Michaels said he pulled out of the festival because his shows \u201chave never been about politics.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Stagecoach<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span class=\"credit\">BRETT MICHAELS\/ INSTAGRAM<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Michaels explained that he has spent his \u201centire career bringing people together through music, positivity and good vibes\u201d and that his shows \u201chave never been about politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, 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.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/29\/entertainment\/martina-mcbride-quits-freedom-250-festival-meant-to-celebrate-americas-birthday\/#\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cConcerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Young MC announced that he would no longer be performing at the festival because he had not originally been informed that the event was \u201cTrump-backed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, Spin magazine describes it as Trump-backed,\u201d the rapper shared via Instagram on May 28.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Although he did not provide a specific reasoning, Morris Day and The Time confirmed he would not be part of the lineup at Freedom 250 on May 28.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContrary to rumor, Morris Day &amp; The Time will not be performing at \u2018The Great American State Fair,&#8217;\u201d the frontman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY205fkPXX5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The Commodores also kept their announcement brief when they backed out of the festival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commodores will not be performing at the Great American State Fair,\u201d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY5RWcpAXmm\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=b68812d5-b0ad-4e32-97e7-f9fa900944e3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post from their official Instagram page<\/a> read. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party. We support the betterment of all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It is currently unclear whether or not Milli Vanilli will be performing at Freedom 250 as band members have voiced differing stances after they were initially announced as part of the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>One of the original studio vocalists behind the group Jodie Rocco told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/freedom-250-milli-vanilli-young-mc-bb9c58cb68d3af91cd8aeb5c5c5d26a1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Associated Press<\/a>\u00a0that neither she nor any other member had been asked to appear.<\/p>\n<p>But surviving frontman Fab Morvan confirmed he plans to perform and embraced the event\u2019s patriotic message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,\u201d Morvan said in a statement. \u201cLet\u2019s celebrate life &amp; music and take a trip down memory lane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although C+C Music Factory is still slated to perform, frontman Freedom Williams said he initially planned to drop out of the show after learning about Trump\u2019s involvement.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY3WSXVRwYA\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram Reel<\/a>, he insisted that he does not support the current president, but decided to go ahead with the gig to show to prove angry fans were were threatening to \u201ccancel\u201d him wrong.<\/p>\n<p>In the explicit upload, Williams condemned those who tried to tell him what concerts he can and can\u2019t perform at. <\/p>\n<p>Despite backlash from fans Vanilla Ice is standing by the event.<\/p>\n<p>A rep for the rapper told the Associated Press he is \u201cproud to help celebrate America\u2019s 250th Anniversary!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA\u2019s Birthday and our Freedom!\u201d the rep added.<\/p>\n<p>Flo Rida is still set to take the stage at the The Great American State Fair on July 2.<\/p>\n<p>The rapper has yet to speak out on the event as several of his counterparts have dropped out.<\/p>\n<p>Many angry fans have also taken to his Instagram comments asking him to address where he stands politically.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you\u2019re gonna perform for Trump?\u201d one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DU1AT48FTV5\/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a>.  \u201cMAGA Sellout,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/entertainment\/freedom-250-concert-festival-artists-backing-out-lineup\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lineup for the Freedom 250 concert series celebrating America\u2019s milestone birthday is continuing to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/129077411.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}