Smashing Pumpkins, Chris Stapleton Set for America250 Benefit Concert

Smashing Pumpkins and Chris Stapleton are set to perform America’s Block Party at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the Fourth of July. More performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hosted by Queen Latifah, the event is being thrown by America250, a nonpartisan organization established in 2016 by Congress’ United States Semiquincentennial Commission, which is officially charged with overseeing the country’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Tickets are fittingly priced at $17.76 each, with proceeds after fees benefitting Feeding America through America250’s new Giving 4th initiative, which encourages participants to give back via pledges for charitable donations. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, June 16 at 10 a.m. PT. Additionally, 5,000 tickets will be donated to first responders, veterans, and service members.

The central event in Los Angeles serves to connect a larger celebration, with additional America’s Block Party locations taking place at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Fort Campbell Festival in Kentucky, and SC250 Charleston. Boston and Philadelphia events will also be announced soon.

“Los Angeles knows how to put on a show, and hosting America’s Block Party at the LA Coliseum is going to be something special,” said Queen Latifah in a statement. “This 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.”

“Playing the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 4 for America’s 250th is a rare kind of moment,” Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin added in a statement. “We’ve always believed in the power of music to be a unifying principle. It brings people together and allows them to express themselves in a forum that has a common destination — and it allows all of us the opportunity to participate in a celebration that has meaning, history, and impact.”

The America’s Block Party announcement from America250 follows the nixing of the separately organized Freedom 250 concert series, which President Trump scrapped in favor of a rally which he said he will now headline. Initially organized by Keith Krach, a Trump appointee, the Freedom 250 concert series fell apart after artists billed to perform —  including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, the Time, the Commodores, Young MC, and more — exited the lineup, with many citing that they felt misled when they were told it would be a nonpartisan event.