Photo: Alamy
Vanilla Ice appears to have no qualms about performing at the Freedom 250 concert series linked to the upcoming “Great American State Fair” in Washington, D.C., even if other mainstream celebrities are unwilling to do the same.
“I can only speak for myself, and I’m proud to be an American,” said the artist, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle.
His comments were made to CNN this week, when he was asked about why he was planning on performing at the Freedom 250 event, despite artists like Martina McBride and Bret Michaels pulling out at the last minute.
“I was born here and raised here, and this is my country, and I don’t like anyone telling me I really can’t be proud of it,” he told the outlet. “And this is a huge honor to play on the birthday – it’s once in a lifetime, you know? 250. So, I’m honored.”
Vanilla Ice said he respected other artists’ decisions. “There’s a lot of tension everywhere,” he observed. “This whole world is like a snow globe, but it shouldn’t be that, and music is here to bring people together, man.”
As reported by RSBN, six of nine scheduled musical acts reportedly dropped out of performing at the Great American State Fair after the lineup was announced last week. The fair, billed as a 16-day celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is tentatively scheduled to begin at the end of the month.
Martina McBride accused the event of being “misleading,” noting that she thought she was being invited to perform at a “nonpartisan” event. Bret Michaels alleged that the concert series had “evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.”
President Trump swung back the performers who bowed out, floating the idea of canceling the concert lineup and instead turning the event into one of his signature “MAGA” rallies.
“I don’t want so-called ‘Artists’ that get paid far too much money, who aren’t happy,” the president argued on Truth Social. “I only want to be surrounded by Happy People, Smart People, Successful People, and People that know how to WIN. So, by copy of this TRUTH, I am ordering my Representatives to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, D.C., same time, same location.”