{"id":1660,"date":"2026-05-29T20:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T20:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2026-05-29T20:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T20:50:32","slug":"martina-mcbride-morris-day-among-wave-of-cancellations-at-trump-linked-freedom-250-concerts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"Martina McBride, Morris Day among wave of cancellations at Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>NEW YORK<\/strong> | A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the \u201cfirst wave\u201d of performers for \u201cThe Great American State Fair\u201d shows on Washington\u2019s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations. Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores and Martina McBride are among the scheduled acts who have said they will not be appearing.<\/p>\n<p>Scheduled performers also include Milli Vanilli, the pop duo from the 1980s who were discredited after it was revealed that their frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, were only lip-syncing.<\/p>\n<p>Milli Vanilli won a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Artist, but the award was rescinded after the scandal broke. Pilatus died in 1998, while Morvan has attempted a solo career and published a memoir, \u201cYou Know It\u2019s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morvan recently told The Guardian newspaper that he owns the Milli Vanilli name, and he said in a statement Thursday that he would be performing at the Great American State Fair.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,\u201d Morvan said. \u201cLet\u2019s celebrate life &amp; music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Freedom 250 spokesperson did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment. Freedom 250, which Trump launched late last year, describes itself as a \u201cnational, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation\u2019s 250th birthday.\u201d Trump appointed Keith Krach, who served as an under secretary of state during his first term, as the organization\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his supporters have long had a contentious relationship with the music community. Celine Dion, Elton John and Guns \u2018N Roses are among the many artists who have objected to their music being played at Trump rallies.<\/p>\n<p>Country singer McBride wrote Thursday on social media that she had agreed to perform after she \u201cwas assured this was a nonpartisan event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>In an Instagram post, Young MC questioned whether the National Mall shows would be nonpartisan. \u201cThe artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,\u201d he wrote, adding that he hoped to \u201cperform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Day posted on Instagram, \u201cContrary to rumor, Morris Day &amp; The Time will not be performing at the \u2018GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McBride was scheduled for June 25. Young MC and Milli Vanilli were among those on the roster for an \u201cI Love the \u201990s\u201d concert on June 26. Day was listed for June 27. Other performers announced include Flo Rida and Bret Michaels. The Great American State Fair is scheduled to run June 25-July 10.<\/p>\n<p>At least one \u201cI Love the 90s\u201d act will be there: Vanilla Ice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is proud to help celebrate America\u2019s 250th Anniversary!\u201d a representative for the \u201cIce Ice Baby\u201d rapper wrote in an email to the AP. \u201cEveryone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA\u2019s Birthday and our Freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1654\">Questions dog tentative US-Iran deal as Iranian official says concessions come \u2018through missiles\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1656\">Vance warns against unchecked AI in warfare at Air Force Academy graduation \u2014\u00a0SLIDE SHOW<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1658\">Clothing rental services promise a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. Experts say it depends<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK | A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the \u201cfirst wave\u201d of performers for \u201cThe Great American State Fair\u201d shows on Washington\u2019s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations. Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores and Martina McBride are among [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1101,1102,149,150,515,516,1103,1104],"tags":[45,2557,2558,2559,2560,2561],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-0-no-apple-publish","category-1gridmagazine","category-a-town-magazine","category-celebrities","category-sentinel-music","category-total-scene","category-uncategorized","category-z-other-galley","tag-donald-trump","tag-freedom-250","tag-martina-mcbride","tag-milli-vanilli","tag-morris-day","tag-young-mc"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Martina McBride, Morris Day among wave of cancellations at Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1660\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Martina McBride, Morris Day among wave of cancellations at Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NEW YORK | A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the \u201cfirst wave\u201d of performers for \u201cThe Great American State Fair\u201d shows on Washington\u2019s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations. 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