The lineup is getting thin for the President Donald Trump backed Great American State Fair in Washington D.C. with country singer Martina McBride becoming the latest performer to cancel.
Reflecting a sentiment from other musicians who have bailed, McBride expressed in a statement put out on social media that she was misled to believe the fair was a nonpartisan event.
McBride, a Grammy-nominee and force in 1990s country music behind 1994’s “Independence Day,” said she wanted to “clear the air” before announcing that she would not be performing at the event.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” she said. “I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states. In 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.”
She went on to say that she saw the event as a larger version of state fairs she’s performed in the past that sounded “fun” and “wholesome even.”
On Wednesday, May 27th, the day the lineup was announced, “Things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening,” McBride said.
“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.”
McBride gave her appreciation for fans who reached out to her and hoped to be back in Washington D.C. soon.
McBride joins Young MC, Morris Day & The Time and The Commodores in disassociating from The Great American State Fair put on by Freedom 250, the Trump-founded organization designed to set up events for America’s 250th anniversary.
Young MC told Vibe in a recent interview that the event was misrepresented to him from the start and was a “bait-and-switch” that he wouldn’t have agreed to if he knew it was politically motivated.
Singers for the 1990s group Milli Vanilli also said they weren’t performing the event despite the group’s name being on promotional material. Fab Morvan, one of the two faces of the pop group who didn’t actually sing their hits but lip synched them live, said he will performing the Freedom 250 event.
C+C Music Factory is also scheduled to perform, but Freedom Williams, the rapper on the group’s 1990s hits who appeared on the event’s promotional material, gave an angry rant that pulled no punches for many verbal victims, following backlash about performing. C+C Music Factor still appears to be scheduled though one of the group’s original members has distanced himself and tried to distance the group from the event.
The Great American State Fair by Freedom 250 has booked Vanilla Ice, Bret Michaels, Flo Rida, and C+C Music Factory, according to promotional material.
