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And Finally Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Donald Trump’s inauguration has performers booked (so far only one has pulled out)
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 16 January 2017
So, there will be performances at Donald Trump’s big inauguration party after all. And they said it couldn’t be done. Naysayers should note that since the list of acts on the bill was announced over the weekend, only one has pulled out.
It was announced on Friday that the line-up for the ‘Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration’ – held at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial on 19 Jan – will feature Toby Keith, Jennifer Holliday, The Piano Guys, Lee Greenwood, RaviDrums, Three Doors Down, The Frontmen Of Country (Tim Rushlow, Larry Stewart and Richie McDonald), actor Jon Voight and, of course, Donald ‘The’ Trump.
“President-elect Trump has made it clear that this inaugural is of, by, and for the American people”, said chair of the new president’s inauguration committee Tom Barrack. “The 58th Inaugural will celebrate American history and heritage, while setting the course to a brighter and bolder future for all Americans. Above all, it will serve as tribute to one of our greatest attributes, the peaceful transition of partisan power”.
Oh, but hang about, that list above is actually inaccurate. Broadway star Jennifer Holliday has already dropped out – doing so within 24 hours of the line-up being announced. This followed criticism that her apparent support of Trump ignored the fears of her large LGBT fanbase about what lies ahead during the erratic TV personality’s tenure.
In a letter to fans, published by The Wrap, Holliday said that she had intended to remain a “bi-partisan songbird”, having previously performed for presidents Reagan, Clinton, Bush Snr and Bush Jr. “Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence”.
She continued: “I sincerely apologise for my lapse of judgement, for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans”.
Other acts on the line-up have come under pressure to withdraw too. However, country singer Toby Keith was defiant, saying in a statement to Entertainment Weekly: “I don’t apologise for performing for our country or military. I performed at events for previous presidents Bush [Jr] and Obama and over 200 shows in Iraq and Afghanistan for the USO”.
As previously reported, Trump’s team have struggled to book acts for the inauguration show, with various noted opponents of the businessman coming forward to publicly reject requests to perform, including Elton John, Moby and Charlotte Church.
