Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

As Kris Kristofferson might have put it, “Freedom 250” is just another word for a festival with very few acts left to lose. As of Friday morning, five out of nine artists announced roughly 48 hours earlier for the “Freedom 250” concerts on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C. have officially declared their intentions to back out of the gigs, which were set up by a private/public partnership founded byDonald J. Trump.

The fifth and latest to declare he was pulling out was rockerBret Michaels, of Poison fame, whose exit statement essentially said that the atmosphere around the show had been poisoned, and that he was unnerved by threats that were coming in over the controversial festival.Related Stories'Harry Potter’ Agency The Blair Partnership Signals Support for Paramount-WB Merger, Citing Studio’s ‘Long-Term Vision and Commitment to Exceptional Storytelling’ (EXCLUSIVE)'Harry Potter' Stars Bring the Magic to BAFTA TV Awards as Movie Version's Lucius Malfoy, Jason Isaacs, Poses With TV's Draco, Lox Pratt

“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 posted to social media. “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.”Popular on Variety

He continued: “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 asserted that “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.” (Scroll down to read the full content of Michaels’ message.)

With his departure, Michaels joinsMorris Day, Young MC, the Commodores andMartina McBrideon the list of those doing quick pullouts over the last two days. Only two out of nine acts have publicly declared an intent to go through with the gigs: Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan. C&C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams said he was still uncertain whether he’d go through with thier appearance or not. That leaves only Flo Rida out of the nine who has still not addressed the issue at all.

The divisiveness that Michaels spoke of was fully evident in comments left on his social media posts about the pull-out, with different fans reading different things into the musician’s message, which was nebulous on where he stands on Trump or whether the festival was initially a good idea.

A majority of messages on his posts congratulated Michaels for making the move he did, with many saying they would have had a hard time continuing to listen to his music if he had gone on at a festival that many identify with the president and the MAGA movement. But some disappointed conservative fans pointed out that Michaels’ comments about “threats” were the clearest part of his post, and that his exit might have more to do with that than any disavowal of Trump or his initiatives. .

Some of the conflicting comments on Michaels’ pages: “As a veteran thank you for deciding to not participate. Much respect for you.” “The currrent politics around the celebration are clearly taking away from the 250th. So thanks for making that hard call.” “You’re giving in to the Democrats who wanted you to back down. Shame on you.” “I’m so proud of you!!! Great job on standing up for what is right.” “So disappointed in you that you dropped out to cave to the intolerant as always Left. Your character was tested… and you failed miserably.” “The others who have pulled out simply explained that they were lied to about the actual intention of the gig. There was no need for you to blame safety issues. Just be honest.”

Source: Drudge Report