Who knew Vanilla Ice would be the rare star to take a patriotic stand on the nation's 250th birthday?
Not all heroes wear capes. Some sport high-top fades.
The '90s era rapper previously agreed to perform at Freedom 250, a massive event instigated by Team Trump to honor the nation's milestone birthday. Fellow musicians Young MC, Martina McBride, Bret Michaels and C&C Music Factory signed on, too, before the media started playing up the Trump connection.
Hard.
One by one, the acts fled the event, with only Vanilla Ice ready to honor his commitment.
"It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years. From George Washington to now. All the presidents and everybody in between, this is a magical event that’s gonna happen ... it’s very rare. I’m honored, man. This is gonna be epic. And that’s it. We don’t take anything too seriously, and we’re gonna bring the ‘90s, that’s how it works."
One musician just agreed to perform for a July 4-themed event without hesitation or drama.
John Ondrasik.
The Grammy-nominated voice behind Five for Fighting will appear aboard the USS Nimitz in New York Harbor on July 4.
He'll sing “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” accompanied by freed Israeli hostage Alon Ohel as part of the U.S. Navy’s International Naval Review 250. The maritime event brings together U.S. and international naval forces, tall ships, aircraft and partners from more than 50 nations.
“America is the greatest force for good, freedom, and human rights our world has ever known. Thank you to all our vets, active, and military families who are the heart and spine of our great nation," Ondrasik said in a statement.
“Superman (It’s Not Easy)” has only grown in stature over the years. Following the 9/11 attacks, Ondrasik sang it at the 2001 Concert for New York at Madison Square Garden. The song became an unofficial anthem capturing the heroism of first responders and the city's resilience.
More recently, he's been singing "Superman" to honor the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. And, when Ohel finally reunited with his loved ones, Ondrasik joined him on the piano to sing "Superman." That completed a vow he made early in the hostage crisis nightmare, to join Ohel onstage to sing together as free men.
When we released the new version of "Superman for Alon and the Hostages" we all prayed that one day Alon would sit at a piano with me and together we'd perform Superman.
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) May 12, 2026
For all of you who fought for the hostages and their families. This video of that miracle is for you. 🇺🇸🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/STgWBFwuzb
Ohel spent more than 700 days in Hamas captivity.
Ondrasik isn't like most politically active musicians. He's well versed in the issues that matter, and his commentary is level-headed, not meant to provoke. The singer/songwriter, whose music has generated more than two billion streams worldwide, was one of the very few artists in any field to consistently speak out for the Israeli hostages.
Compare that to the artists who said nothing about the travesty but clipped "Free Palestine" buttons to their red carpet attire.
Now, he's stepping up for America on the nation's critical birthday moment. How rare. How freshing.
