Sammy Hagar has responded after facing criticism from some fans over his planned appearance at the Freedom 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C., insisting his involvement was about celebrating America’s milestone anniversary rather than politics.
The Red Rocker had been scheduled as a surprise performer during the Fourth of July event, alongside artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd and country singer Gretchen Wilson (per Ultimate Classic Rock).
However, severe thunderstorms forced organisers to cancel the entire live music program, leaving only President Donald Trump‘s address, a fireworks display and a performance by the U.S. Air Force Band to go ahead.
Following the event, Hagar addressed criticism on social media from fans who questioned why he agreed to participate.
Not political
“This is not a political thing!” Hagar wrote.
“This is the celebration of our country’s birthday no matter who the president is at this time — this is our 250th birthday as a country. We’ve been up! And we’ve been down! And may always continue and survive. I hope that happens another 250 years. The hate the violence the prejudice hopefully will not survive. One nation under God! Hang in there all you doubters. We’ve come a long way. We have a long way to go.”
Hagar also revealed he had prepared a message to accompany a performance of Van Halen’s Right Now, sharing the handwritten speech after the weather prevented him from taking the stage.
“I was so excited to present this speech to the world at the beginning of the Van Halen song ‘Right Now,'” Hagar explained. “For those of you that had seen shows leading up to the Fourth of July event I had been practicing every night trying to get it right.”
The speech called for unity and compassion, reading:
“Right now we are celebrating our country’s 250th birthday & right now would be a good time to reunite this country. Come together right now. Stop the violence. Stop the hate. Right now is a good time to show some love & respect to our fellow brothers & sisters. Let’s not be prejudiced. Let’s all come together right now. Remember United We Stand, Divided We Fall. All we need is love! Right here, right now — Happy Birthday, America!”
Despite the cancelled appearance, Hagar’s touring schedule continues. He heads to England this week for a series of performances before returning to Las Vegas later this year for another run of his Best of All Worlds residency.
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