President Trump’s favored celebrations in Washington for the 250th anniversary of American independence — which have gone through head-spinning changes in recent weeks — now have competition in Los Angeles.
The alt-rock band Smashing Pumpkins and the outlaw country star Chris Stapleton will be among the performers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 4, according to an announcement on Monday by the nonprofit group America250.
That group, established by Congress a decade ago, has been running official planning for the nation’s semiquincentennial since before Mr. Trump created his own group, Freedom 250, in December.
The Los Angeles concert, called America’s Block Party, will feature Queen Latifah as its host and promote “Giving 4th,” America250’s charitable initiative. Tickets for the concert are $17.76, and the group said more performers would be announced.
“As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to bring Americans together around the values that continue to unite us,” said Rosie Rios, a top Treasury official in the Obama administration who is the chair of America250.
America250 has also planned “block party” events in Charleston, S.C., Fort Campbell, Ky., New York and Milwaukee.
Other events tied to the anniversary have sprouted up around the country. “One Philly: Unity Concert for America,” a free concert in Philadelphia on July 4 that is being presented by the city, will feature Christina Aguilera, Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jill Scott, the Roots, Seal and Wanda Sykes.
And on Sunday, Ultimate Fighting Championship put on a series of mixed martial arts matches on the White House lawn, in an event that took place on Mr. Trump’s 80th birthday and was loosely tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
For many Americans, the announcement by America250 may only bring further confusion about official plans for the 250th celebration.
Last month, Freedom 250 announced a slate of performers for its Great American State Fair, a World’s Fair-style event on the National Mall that is set to run from June 25 to July 10 — displacing the Smithsonian Institution’s annual Folklife Festival, which began in 1967.
According to announcements from Freedom 250, the Great American State Fair is to include pavilions for all 56 states and territories, along with a series of concerts.
But starting just hours after its lineup was released last month, most of the artists who had been announced for the fair — among them Martina McBride, Young MC, the Commodores, Morris Day and Bret Michaels of the band Poison — dropped out.
Some artists said they had been misled to expect a nonpartisan event. In a series of angry social media posts, Mr. Trump dismissed the artists as “overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” and said that he would instead hold a “Rally to end all Rallies” on June 24, the day before the fair is supposed to begin.
That rally was to have featured performances by Lee Greenwood — the singer whose patriotic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been a fixture of Mr. Trump’s political rallies — and the tenor Christopher Macchio.
On Monday, Mr. Trump appeared to changed course once again. In a social media post, he said the rally would now take place on July 4. (The performances by Mr. Greenwood and Mr. Macchio, Mr. Trump said in another post, will still take place on June 24.)
Freedom 250, a subsidiary of the nonprofit National Park Foundation, has described itself as nonpartisan but has been criticized for offering perks to top donors, including access to Mr. Trump, and for shaping events to fit the president’s agenda.
At least seven states have declined to participate in the Great American State Fair, with some citing budget constraints.
In its announcement, America250 made no mention of Mr. Trump or the chaotic changes to the anniversary events in Washington.
“This is a chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation milestone,” Queen Latifah said in a statement, “with great music, real energy and a purpose that reaches far beyond the stadium.”
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