Although Washington, D.C. is undergoing a transformation to mark America’s 250th anniversary, several prominent artists have announced their withdrawal from the 16-day “America 250” concert series scheduled between June 25 and July 10.
Poison singer Bret Michaels cited threats against himself, his fans, family, and crew as the primary reason for stepping away from the event. In a statement posted on Instagram early Friday, he wrote: “When 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… 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. Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”
Michaels joins Morris Day, Young MC, the Commodores, and Martina McBride on the list of performers who have withdrawn from the event in the past two days. Only Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan have publicly committed to performing as of recent reports, while C&C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams remains uncertain about his participation.
