Trump's Freedom 250 concert in freefall as world famous rocker becomes FIFTH to flee - and reveals the 'unforgivable' reason he had to run

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 13:34, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 13:55, 29 May 2026 Donald Trump's 'Freedom 250' concert has been plunged into chaos as a fifth act has fled, citing 'unforgivable' threats to his family as the celebration of America's founding becomes mired in political controversy. Bret Michaels, front man for glam metal band Poison, released a statement late Thursday saying he'd at first jumped at the opportunity to honor the nation, but said he now feared for his family and friends' safety. He joins Morris Day, Young MC, the Commodores and Martina McBride on the list of acts which have dropped out over the last two days - and just a month before the musical festival is scheduled to kick off on the National Mall. '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. '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 added: '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.'  Michaels insisted '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.'  American glam rock band, Poison, including Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, C.C. Deville and Bobby Dall, on January 9, 1987, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan Bret Michaels, singer of the band Poison, performs onstage during Day 1 of the 2019 Stagecoach Country Music Festival on April 26, 2019 in Indio, California Donald Trump dances to YMCA at his rally in Greensboro, North Carolina Rapper Vanilla Ice performs onstage during the 9th Annual Tequila & Taco Music Festival at Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center on July 24, 2021 in Ventura, California No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.