Smashing Pumpkins, Chris Stapleton to Perform America’s Block Party Benefit Concert
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- Smashing Pumpkins and Chris Stapleton are set to perform America's Block Party at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 4, hosted by Queen Latifah and organized by America250.
- America250, a nonpartisan organization established by Congress in 2016, is throwing the event to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with additional block parties planned at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Fort Campbell Festival in Kentucky, and SC250 Charleston, plus upcoming Boston and Philadelphia dates.
- Tickets are priced at $17.76 in a nod to 1776, with proceeds after fees going to Feeding America through America250's new Giving 4th initiative, and 5,000 tickets being donated to first responders, veterans, and service members.
- Queen Latifah said the event is a chance to 'celebrate a once-in-a-generation milestone with great music, real energy, and a purpose that reaches far beyond the stadium,' while Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin called the July 4 Coliseum date 'a rare kind of moment' and described music as a 'unifying principle.'
- The America250 announcement follows the collapse of the separately organized Freedom 250 concert series, which President Trump scrapped in favor of a rally he will headline after billed artists including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, the Time, the Commodores, and Young MC exited, with many saying they were misled about it being a nonpartisan event.
Why it matters: By booking Smashing Pumpkins and Stapleton for a $17.76-ticket, nonpartisan July 4 show at the LA Coliseum with proceeds to Feeding America, America250 has effectively absorbed the July 4 spotlight after Trump's Freedom 250 concert series collapsed when artists withdrew over partisanship concerns — making this nonpartisan event the de facto flagship celebration of the country's 250th.
