Yesterday, we reported that several musical performers had pulled out of The Great American State Fair. It's now been reported that Martina McBride and the Commodores have decided not to perform at the event.
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Why Are Musicians Suddenly Canceling Their Appearances?
The Great American State Fair is slated to take place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is scheduled from June 25 to July 10.
McBride and the other musicians who have canceled their appearances appear to share a common reason: the organization behind the event, Freedom 250, has ties to the Trump Administration.
Freedom 250 is labeled as a nonpartisan organization. However, it was founded by the Trump Administration to launch events celebrating the nation's 250th birthday.
The day the roster of performers was announced, rapper Young MC and Morris Day each issued statements saying they would no longer be involved in the event.
Day suggested that he and The Time were never actually booked.
"Artists were never told about any political involvement with the event," wrote Young MC on social media. "And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, Spin magazine describes it as 'Trump-backed.'"
Why Are Martina McBride and the Commodores Backing Out?
McBride appears to be withdrawing for the same reasons as the other performers.
In a statement on social media, the "This One's for the Girls" singer was "presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading."
She then added that after the performers were announced, "things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening."
"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," she wrote. "I assure you, that is not the case."
The Commodores released a smaller yet similar statement. "Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party," the band wrote. "We support the betterment of all Americans."
Now that McBride, Young MC, the Commodores, and Day have withdrawn, the current lineup includes Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli (now Fab Morvan as a solo performer), Flo Rida, and Bret Michaels.
Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory shared a wild, profanity-laced video that cast some doubt on whether he will participate.
According to the clip, Williams said when he learned about the White House's involvement, he went to his agent. He told him, "'You didn't say nothing about Trump. You didn't mention Trump.' ... So I told my agent, 'Yeah, no, I ain't gonna be able to do that.'"
But in a twist, he shared that he wouldn't let any "motherf*****s" tell him what to do. He added, "You can't cancel me, p***y, because you don't exist."
He then ended the video with the middle finger and the statement, "I might do the motherf*****g show."
