Vanilla Ice Performance at Washington’s Freedom 250 Cancelled Due to Weather

The Friday concert by Vanilla Ice at Washington D.C.’s Freedom 250 Great American State Fair was canceled two hours before showtime, with organizers citing “inclement weather” and closing the fairgrounds for the rest of the day.

The rapper had become the event’s most talked-about booking after a string of artists — Morris Day, Martina McBride, Young MC, Bret Michaels among them — withdrew from the Trump-backed fair. Vanilla Ice defended his decision to stay on the bill, positioning himself as apolitical: “I don’t even vote, so I don’t even care,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’ll go play for Putin and I’ll play in Iran if you want. It don’t matter. There’s fans everywhere. Music is not political, man. It’s universal.”

That universal spirit met a practical stop. The fair reopened Saturday, but Vanilla Ice’s slot was not rescheduled. Instead, the main stage will host a U.S. Army jazz ensemble.