Vanilla Ice’s concert at the Great American State Fair was canceled just two hours before he was set to take the stage Friday, after Freedom 250 shut down the fair for the rest of the day because of inclement weather. The fair said it would reopen Saturday at 10 a.m.
The cancellation landed at the exact moment fans were looking for an answer from Rob Van Winkle, who had spent the day talking up the show. Hours earlier, he posted that the event was a once in a lifetime opportunity and said the party would be epic, a pitch that now reads differently against a Friday shutdown. He also wrote that America’s birthday meant people should put their dance shoes on, come together and be teenagers for the night.
Freedom 250 said the fair was closed for the rest of Friday and framed the decision around safety. The group said the safety of guests, staff and partners remained its top priority and that it was actively monitoring conditions and would provide updates as they became available. Vanilla Ice had been the last artist standing for Friday’s still-scheduled I Love the ‘90s concert, after several artists had already dropped out of the series following the lineup announcement.
The clash between the upbeat sales pitch and the late cancellation is what gives the moment its sting. Last month, Vanilla Ice told TMZ he was not gonna get dragged into politics and said he was there to party with America. Young MC later said the artists were never told about any political involvement with the event when they were booked, while Freedom Williams said in a video defending his appearance that he does not f*** with Trump before he apparently backed out. That scramble left Vanilla Ice carrying the Friday bill, only for weather to end the night before it began.
The Great American State Fair was part of Freedom 250’s celebrations for the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the question now is narrower than the larger event: whether Vanilla Ice’s concert will be rescheduled. For the fair itself, the answer is settled. It is closed for Friday, back Saturday morning, and the show that was supposed to cap the night is off for now.
