One has The Smashing Pumpkins. The other has Vanilla Ice.
The anticipated 250th birthday of America has seen a slew of chaos ever since a number of artists exercised their First Amendment rights by pulling out of Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 concert.
Since then, President Trump has pushed to turn the event into a MAGA rally, while Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice, Lee Greenwood and Trump himself are set to take the stage.
Now, a new and more promising contender, America250, has entered the ring to answer the call for a normal Fourth of July celebration this year.
America250 is a bipartisan nonprofit created by Congress ten years ago for the sole purpose of planning and coordinating celebratory events surrounding the nation’s 250th birthday.
The organisation will host the ‘America’s Block Party’ event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 4, with performances from The Smashing Pumpkins and Chris Stapleton, with more artists yet to be announced.
The event will also be hosted by Queen Latifah, who shared: “This is a chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation milestone with great music, real energy and a purpose that reaches far beyond the stadium.”
The organisation will also launch ‘Giving 4th’, a new initiative aimed at driving community charity and compassion among Americans during the summer season.
The Chair of America250, Rosie Rios, said: “As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to bring Americans together around the values that continue to unite us. Giving back represents the best part of the American spirit.”
Championing this call to action, 5,000 free tickets to the event will be donated to first responders, veterans and service members.
The organisation’s outreach will spread far and wide, with additional ‘America Block Parties’ taking place in Milwaukee, Kentucky and Charleston. More announcements regarding Boston and Philadelphia are expected in the coming weeks.
So far, the America250 block parties are shaping up to be more organised and compassionate than Trump’s Freedom250 event, with much better music to boot.
