Vanilla Ice Puts Planned 4th Of July Concert On Ice, Cites COVID-19 Increase

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Rapper and DIY Network home renovator Vanilla Ice has decided not to go forward with a planned July 4 concert in Austin, Texas.

The show, planned for the Emerald Point Bar & Grill, is located on the shores of Lake Travis and touted its outdoor restaurant and extensive grounds as safety features.

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But Texas, as well as several other states, has seen a strong resurgence of coronavirus cases. That prompted the governor to shut all bars and restaurants once again, including the Emerald Point.

“Due to the increase in COVID-19 numbers in Austin we’re gonna move the concert to a better date,”said Vanilla Ice in a video caption posted to Twitter today. “We were hoping for better coronavirus numbers by July but unfortunately the numbers have increased quite a bit so for the safety and health of everyone we’re going to stay home.”

In the video, the Ice Man added, “Basically, I’m not goin’. I listen to my fans. I hear all you people out there.”

The 52-year-old Robby Van Winkle had been touting a ’90s throwback concert for the 4th, an era where he had his greatest success. “The 90s were the best. We didn’t have coronavirus, or cell phones, or computers,” he wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week. “We had 5.0’s, Blockbuster, ‘Beavis and Butt-Head,’ ‘Wayne’s World,’ Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan … ‘Mortal Kombat’ is still better than ‘Fortnight’ [sic] … the last of the great decades.”

In his cancellation video, Ice concluded, “Basically, just wanna stay safe,” and promised a brighter tomorrow. “Hopefully, by New Year’s, this corona crap will have a cure! Come on! Go, ninja, go — we’re ready to go!”

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