President Donald Trump’s Freedom250 multi-week concert series, set to begin later this month, has experienced significant turnover after most of its initially billed artists dropped off the lineup, including Bret Michaels and Young MC, due to intense public backlash. While the concert, dubbed by Trump as the “Rally to end all Rallies,” is now scheduled for June 24, an alternative celebration of the country’s semiquincentennial is set to take place this summer.
America250, a program established a decade ago by Congress, plans to host its “America’s Block Party” concert on July 4 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Queen Latifah is set to host the event, while The Smashing Pumpkins and Chris Stapleton—a notable shift from the previously announced Freedom250 performers—are scheduled to headline the festivities.
The America250 event will promote Giving 4th, the organization’s charitable arm, with proceeds donated to Feeding America. Tickets are priced at $17.76, and organizers have indicated that additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Rosie Rios, a former Treasury official in the Obama administration and current America250 chair, stated in The New York Times, “As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to bring Americans together around the values that continue to unite us.”
In addition to the Los Angeles event, America250 has announced a series of “block party” celebrations across the country, including stops in Charleston, Fort Campbell, New York, and Milwaukee. Furthermore, a free concert in Philadelphia, titled “One Philly: Unity Concert for America,” will feature a diverse lineup including Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jill Scott, The Roots, Christina Aguilera, Wanda Sykes, and Seal.
