Vanilla Ice Melts Under Pressure, Cancels Austin Gig: ‘I Didn’t Know that the Numbers Were So Crazy’
July 2, 2020 - Austin
Stay home, homies. Because of the backlash he received from his fans, rapper Vanilla Ice has canceled his July 3 performance in Austin amid coronavirus concerns. Photo: Facebook.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Entertainment Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- On Thursday, Vanilla Ice canceled his July 3 concert at Emerald Point Bar and Grill in Austin
- The rapper received heavy criticism for his plans to perform amid the coronavirus pandemic
- As of Thursday night, there are 10,695 Covid-19 cases in Austin
- Vanilla Ice is best known for his 1990 song 'Ice, Ice Baby'
After stopping, collaborating and listening, rapper Vanilla Ice has decided to cancel his holiday concert which was scheduled to take place Friday night at Emerald Point Bar and Grill in the Capitol City. “I didn’t know that the [coronavirus-case] numbers were so crazy in Austin,” he told his fans Thursday via Twitter.
On Sunday, the 52-year-old pop idol posted a pre-pandemic concert clip with the caption: “I can’t wait to get back to this. The 90s were the best. We didn’t have coronavirus, or cell phones, or computers.”
The Dallas native is perhaps best known for his 1990 hit song Ice, Ice Baby from his second album, To the Extreme. The following year, James Bernard of the New York Times referred to him as the “Elvis of Rap” in light of the fact that he, as an Anglo entertainer, had capitalized on a predominantly African-American music style - a path that Eminem would successfully pursue less than a decade later.
During his short run as one of Madonna’s noteworthy ex-boyfriends, he was also immortalized in Sex, the Material Girl’s tastefully erotic, post-feminist book.
In subsequent years, Vanilla Ice found ways to diversify his brand. In 2010, he launched The Vanilla Ice Project, a reality show on the DIY Network where he renovated homes. When the popular series ended in 2018, he had earned a new generation of followers, many of whom were born after his meteoric rise to fame.
Further proof of his staying power came in 2016, when he was cast as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars - shoulder to shoulder with former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Although masks and temperature checks would have been required to attend the bash, the performer’s headlining appearance at this weekend’s Independence Day Throwback Party drew sharp criticism from fans as the number of coronavirus cases in Austin reached 10,695 on Thursday night.
“In conjunction with Vanilla Ice, we have decided to move this weekend's concert to the future due to the current circumstances,” a post on Emerald Point Bar and Grill’s Facebook page stated. “When it is safe to do so, we will welcome both artists back to our outdoor stage. We are very conscious of the virus and the impact it has on our community.”
“We were hoping for a good time, you know, Fourth of July Weekend, but it turned into a big focal point on me and that’s not what it’s about,” he said in regards to the backlash.
Refunds for this concert are being issued by EventBrite.
“Hopefully, by New Year’s, this corona crap will have a cure! C’mon! Go, Ninja, Go!” he continued, referencing his song Ninja Rap from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze soundtrack.
The rapper’s next live concert is scheduled for September 19 at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, alongside Coolio, Rob Base and C+C Music Factory’s Freedom Williams.
Though the rising number of Covid-19 cases across the country will likely bring further show cancellations over the next few months, avid fans can safely catch Vanilla Ice’s cameo appearance in The Wrong Missy, a romantic comedy film now streaming on Netflix.
Jade Esteban Estrada is an entertainment writer at the San Antonio Sentinel and was once a bartender at one of Vanilla Ice’s legit private parties. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.