As Kris Kristofferson might have put it, “Freedom 250” is just another word for a festival with very few acts left to lose. As of Friday morning, five out of nine artists announced roughly 48 hours earlier for the “Freedom 250” concerts on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C. have officially declared their intentions to back out of the gigs, which were set up by a private/public partnership founded by Donald J. Trump.
The fifth and latest to declare he was pulling out was rocker Bret Michaels, of Poison fame, whose exit statement essentially said that the atmosphere around the show had been poisoned, and that he was unnerved by threats that were coming in over the controversial festival.
“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,” Michaels said in a statement posted to social media. “As the son of a veteran, and coming from a family that has proudly served, that is something I have always been honored to support.”
He continued: “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. Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.”
