Stormy weather stormed in on Vanilla Ice's big moment at Donald Trump's Freedom 250 Great American State Fair, bringing a swift and devastating end to his eagerly anticipated headline show. Just two hours before he was set to take the stage, the event was shut down for the day due to 'inclement weather', according to an announcement from the organisers.
The rapper, real name Robert Van Winkle, had been revving up the crowd with a video posted just minutes earlier – "This is going to be epic!" he exclaimed. But it seems the elements had other plans. The 'I Love The 90s!' concert series, part of the wider Freedom 250 celebrations, has been marred by controversy since its announcement last month.
And it's not just the weather that's been causing a stir – Freedom 250, backed by Donald Trump, is an organisation meant to commemorate America's 250th birthday. But several high-profile acts have pulled out of the event in protest, including Morris Day & The Time, The Commodores, Young MC, Bret Michaels, and Martina McBride.
Young MC was blunt: "We weren't told about any political involvement" when they booked the gig. McBride spoke up too, saying she'd been led to believe it was a 'nonpartisan event' that turned out to be misleading. But Vanilla Ice had other ideas earlier in June – defending his decision to stay on the bill by saying, "It's America's birthday! Two hundred and fifty years of history. It's not about politics." He claimed not to know why it'd been politicised.
The controversy has only just begun, though. Wednesday's opening event saw Donald Trump himself deliver a rally – and opera singer Christopher Macchio perform Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', despite the estate's public objection: "Not authorised", they said, adding that they don't support or approve of this kind of usage.