{"id":1961687,"date":"2026-05-29T09:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T06:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1961687"},"modified":"2026-05-29T09:51:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T06:51:30","slug":"bret-michaels-steps-out-of-great-american-state-fair-lineup-this-isnt-about-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1961687","title":{"rendered":"Bret Michaels Steps Out Of Great American State Fair Lineup: \u2018This Isn\u2019t About Politics\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/brett-michaels-2019-billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"a-content lrv-a-floated-parent lrv-a-glue-parent a-font-body-m u-font-size-19\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-paywall\">\n<div class=\"trinityAudioPlaceholder\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"pmc-contextual-player\" data-pmc-adm-ad-id=\"10140328\">\n<h3>\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<div id=\"connatix-contextual-player\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBret Michaels won\u2019t be performing at the Great American State Fair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe ex-Poison singer has scratched his name from the line-up, a 16-day free festival in Washington, D.C., running June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall to celebrate America\u2019s 250th\u00a0anniversary.\u00a0He becomes the sixth act to walk away since the music program was announced on Wednesday, May 27 by Freedom 250.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d he writes in a lengthy social post, \u201cwhat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-display-inline-block lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-margin-t-2 u-margin-t-26@mobile-max u-margin-b-0.875@mobile-max u-margin-b-150@tablet u-border-t-12 lrv-u-padding-t-025 u-padding-b-1.313 lrv-u-padding-b-125@mobile-max lrv-u-border-color-black\">\n<div class>\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap u-font-weight-700 lrv-u-display-inline-block u-line-height-18px a-font-accent u-letter-spacing-0225 u-font-size-16 lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-article-badge-underline a-article-esp u-display-inline-flex lrv-u-margin-b-1@mobile-max u-margin-b-9@tablet\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story-wrapper lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between lrv-u-padding-tb-050@desktop a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--grey a-children-border-width-050\">\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/zane-lowe-sydney-city-recital-hall-2026-1800-cr-destination-nsw.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Zane Lowe at City Recital Hall for Vivid Sydney 2026.\" height width><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tUp From Down Under: How New Zealand&#8217;s Zane Lowe Became &#8216;The Rock Star Whisperer&#8217;\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ariana-grande-htimylm-press-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Ariana Grande\" height width><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tAriana Grande, Labrinth, aespa &amp; More: New Music\u00a0Friday\u00a0Guide\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/boards-of-canada-press-photo-Warp-Records-2018-billboard-1500.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Boards of Canada\" height width><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tAfter a Prolonged Absence, Boards of Canada Fires-Up With &#8216;Inferno&#8217;: Stream It Now\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-related-artists \/\/ lrv-u-margin-tb-1 lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl-max lrv-u-align-items-center lrv-u-margin-l-00@desktop-xl a-glue@desktop-xl lrv-a-glue--t-0 lrv-a-glue--l-0 u-margin-t-29px@desktop u-margin-t-250@mobile-max u-margin-lr-auto@desktop-xl-max u-max-width-400@desktop-xl-max u-width-100p@mobile-max u-max-width-80@desktop-xl\">\n<div class=\"lrv-u-display-block u-width-100p lrv-u-background-color-black u-margin-b-1@desktop-xl-max\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-u-color-white a-font-primary-fancy-m lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-text-align-center a-article-related-module-title lrv-u-padding-tb-050\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-article-related-module-wrap lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl lrv-u-flex-grow-1 u-width-100p\">\n<div class=\"o-card lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl-max u-align-items-center lrv-u-position-relative u-flex-basis-100p lrv-u-padding-b-075\">\n<div class=\"o-card__image-wrap lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column u-width-80 u-width-110@mobile-max lrv-a-glue-parent lrv-u-flex-shrink-0\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-1x1 lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" alt height width><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"o-indicator lrv-a-glue a-glue--b-n050 lrv-a-glue--r-0 a-glue--t-auto a-glue--l-0 lrv-u-margin-lr-auto u-pointer-events-none lrv-u-background-color-brand-primary lrv-u-border-radius-50p u-width-20 u-height-20 a-icon-related-artist lrv-a-icon-after\"><\/p>\n<p>\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-primary-fancy-m u-font-size-15@desktop u-line-height-15px a-children-link-color-black a-children-link-color-brand-accent-blue:hover lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-text-align-center a-article-related-module-link lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tBret Michaels\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl u-flex-direction-column@desktop-xl-max u-align-items-center lrv-u-position-relative u-flex-basis-100p lrv-u-padding-b-075\">\n<div class=\"o-card__image-wrap lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column u-width-80 u-width-110@mobile-max lrv-a-glue-parent lrv-u-flex-shrink-0\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-1x1 lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" alt height width><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"o-indicator lrv-a-glue a-glue--b-n050 lrv-a-glue--r-0 a-glue--t-auto a-glue--l-0 lrv-u-margin-lr-auto u-pointer-events-none lrv-u-background-color-brand-primary lrv-u-border-radius-50p u-width-20 u-height-20 a-icon-related-artist lrv-a-icon-after\"><\/p>\n<p>\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-primary-fancy-m u-font-size-15@desktop u-line-height-15px a-children-link-color-black a-children-link-color-brand-accent-blue:hover lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-text-align-center a-article-related-module-link lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tPoison\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"c-tagline  a-font-secondary-fancy-xxxs@desktop-xl a-font-secondary-fancy-s@desktop-xl-max lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-color-black u-padding-t-13 lrv-u-padding-b-2 lrv-u-margin-tb-00 lrv-u-text-align-center lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-border-color-black lrv-u-width-100p\">See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBecause of that, he continues, \u201cI have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"admz \" id=\"adm-inline-article-ad-1\">\n<div class=\"adma boomerang \" data-device=\"Desktop\" data-width=\"300\">\n<div class=\"pmc-adm-boomerang-pub-div ad-text\" data-priority=\"11\">\n<div id=\"gpt-dsk-tab-ros-midarticle1-uid0\" class=\" adw-300 adh-250\" data-is-adhesion-ad><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY6M0UYlRXh\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe Great American State Fair is operated by Freedom 250, a not-for-profit organization created by a task force under the Trump administration to plan and spearhead the United States\u2019 official semiquincentennial anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThis isn\u2019t about politics,\u201d says Michaels of his decision. \u201cIt\u2019s about staying true to what I\u2019ve always believed in. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. That\u2019s one of the freedoms our veterans fought for and something I\u2019ve always respected. But as a father, friend and bandmate, I have to take threats and safety concerns seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAs a member of Poison, Michaels landed 12 titles on the Billboard Hot 100, including a No. 1 with 1988\u2019s \u201cEvery Rose Has Its Thorn,\u201d which paced the chart for three weeks. The rockers also bagged 12 entries on the Billboard 200, including three top 10s. As a solo artist, Michaels has bagged three titles on the Billboard 200.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMichael\u2019s Great American State Fair u-turn follows the exits of\u00a0Morris Day &amp; The Time,\u00a0Young MC,\u00a0Milli Vanilli\u00a0and\u00a0Martina McBride. Artists still on the bill include\u00a0Vanilla Ice\u00a0and\u00a0C+C Music Factory, who\u00a0are doubling down on their involvement. Flo Rida has yet to comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tPoison is currently celebrating its own anniversary \u2014 40 years since the release of the glam metal band\u2019s 1986 studio album,\u00a0<em>Look What the Cat Dragged In<\/em>. Michaels insists his <em>Live and Amplified Tour 2026<\/em> won\u2019t be affected by his call to pull out of the Great American State Fair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"piano-paywall\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/concerts\/bret-michaels-exits-great-american-state-fair-1236259848\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/brett-michaels-2019-billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024&#8243;] Trending on Billboard Bret Michaels won\u2019t be performing at the Great American State Fair. The ex-Poison singer has scratched his name from the line-up, a 16-day free festival in Washington, D.C., running June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall to celebrate America\u2019s 250th\u00a0anniversary.\u00a0He becomes the sixth act to walk away [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1961687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1961687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1961687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1961687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1961687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}