“I Had Been Practicing Every Night”: Sammy Hagar Reveals the Handwritten Speech He Never Got to Deliver at America 250

With all of Washington, D.C., turning into a full-blown July 4th celebration, the White House administration hoped to make it a patriotic display unlike any other. And while the night featured one of the largest fireworks displays, Mother Nature proved once again why she remained undefeated. As rain pummeled the area, singers like Sammy Hagar, Gretchen Wilson, and more could only watch as their performances were canceled. That didn’t stop the singers from receiving backlash for wanting to take part. But according to Hagar, July 4th wasn’t a “political thing.” 

Although Hagar wasn’t able to perform, the singer still found himself being attacked for adding his name to the 250th lineup. Not wanting to fall into an ongoing debate, the singer promised, “This is not a political thing! 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. We’ve been up! And we’ve been down! And may always continue and survive.”

Hagar added that he focused only on what America represented. “I hope that happens another 250 years. The hate the violence the prejudice hopefully will not survive. One nation under God! Hang in there all you doubters. We’ve come a long way. We have a long way to go.”

[RELATED: Sammy Hagar Says He’ll Never Work With “Negative” Alex Van Halen Again]

Sammy Hagar Shares Speech He Hoped To Read At America’s 250th

While Hagar was scheduled to sing Van Halen’s “Right Now,” he also prepared a speech to commemorate the day. “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.”

Wanting the country to hear his message, Hagar posted an image of the speech. “Right now we are celebrating our country’s 250th birthday & right now would be a good time to reunite this country. Come together right now. Stop the violence. Stop the hate. Right now is a good time to show some love & respect to our fellow brothers & sisters. Let’s not be prejudiced. Let’s all come together right now. Remember United We Stand, Divided We Fall. All we need is love! Right here, right now — Happy Birthday, America!”

Still, the footage offered fans a glimpse of what could have been. Despite the cancellation and the criticism surrounding the event, Hagar made one thing clear – his decision to participate was never about politics – it was about celebrating America’s 250th birthday. 

(Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

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