Severe thunderstorms forced the cancellation of the entire musical program at Washington D.C.’s Freedom 250 celebration on July 4, 2026. Rock legend Sammy Hagar was scheduled as a surprise performer for the event alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd and country singer Gretchen Wilson. The weather prevented all musical acts from taking the stage, leaving only President Donald Trump’s address, fireworks, and a performance by the U.S. Air Force Band to proceed.
Hagar had planned to deliver a heartfelt speech introducing Van Halen’s “Right Now” as a plea for national unity. He had practiced the speech nightly in preparation for the event. The cancellation forced him to share the handwritten message on social media instead.
“I’m so sorry about the cancellation of tonight’s Fourth of July event in DC,” Hagar wrote. “I was so excited to present this speech to the world at the beginning of the Van Halen song ‘Right Now.’ 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, ending with “Right here, right now — Happy Birthday, America!”
Hagar defended his involvement in the event despite recent fan backlash. He emphasized that the Freedom 250 celebration was a nonpartisan tribute to the country’s 250th birthday, not a political event. “This is not a political thing,” he stated. “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.”
Earlier, Hagar had posted an update from the venue, noting that organizers had evacuated attendees over an hour before the scheduled performance. “We’re still hoping and praying the show will go on,” he wrote at the time. “They’ve moved everyone out of the venue over an hour ago waiting to see if they’re gonna let them back in. I’m fucking ready.”
Despite the cancellation, Hagar’s touring schedule continues uninterrupted. He headed to England for a series of performances beginning July 6. He will return to Las Vegas later in the year for another installment of his Best of All Worlds residency in September.
