“I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.”
— Bret Michaels on Freedom 250
MS NEWS / May 28th 2026 — In a brand new late night post from Poison frontman Bret Michaels, the singer has announced that he will be pulling out of the Freedom 250 event scheduled to happen in Washington D.C. next month.
Michaels took to his social media and posted a long announcement sharing his feelings related to the event which is being held at the Great American State Fair starting June 25th and running through July 10th 2026.
Michaels was scheduled to perform on Friday July 3rd.
We have shared the Poison frontman’s full statement below.
STATEMENT FROM BRET MICHAELS
May 28th 2026 – 10:00PM (pst)
Hello to all my awesome friends & fans,
I wanted to jump on here real quick and talk about the upcoming Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C.
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. 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.
As many of you know, I’ve spent my entire career bringing people together through music, positivity and good vibes. My shows have never been about politics. They’re about giving people a place to come together, have a great time and forget about life’s stresses for a few hours.
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.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about staying true to what I’ve always believed in. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That’s one of the freedoms our veterans fought for and something I’ve always respected. But as a father, friend and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.
I believe in our country, in the freedoms we’re afforded, and in the idea that for over 250 years we have gone through both highs and lows together and remained resilient. Music is a universal language that unites us, not divides us. Just like it did when I entertained a record-breaking crowd of over 100,000 at the St. Louis Arch for an Independence Day celebration with people from across the country who came together to honor our freedoms through music. The focus was on the music, the fans and celebrating together.
I will continue to proudly support our veterans, active military members, teachers, first responders and the organizations that serve them, just as I always have.
I also want my amazing fans in Washington, D.C. to know that I love you all, and I fully intend to come back and perform in our nation’s capital under circumstances where the focus can remain on what it should be – the music and the fans.
In the meantime, we’ll keep the Live & Amplified Tour rocking, and I look forward to seeing all of you out on the road soon.
This is said with much love, gratitude, and respect.
Your friend, Bret
(A lead singer with long texting issues)
A list of performers originally scheduled to appear starting on June 25th through July 10th include; Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, Young MC, The Commodores, Morris Day and The Time, Flo Rida and Bret Michaels of Poison.
As of press time today, some of the artists had opted to pull out of the event in recent days, including; Morris Day, The Commodores, Young MC and Martina McBride have all pulled out with Bret Michaels making his statement to pull out as of the evening of May 28th.
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