Vanessa Williams will host this year’s Independence Day celebration A Capitol Fourth, with plans for a pre-taped concert and live fireworks from Washington, D.C.
The city has lifted almost all Covid-19 restrictions, and President Joe Biden is planning an event at the White House that day, his goal for having at least 70% of the country with at least one Covid-19 shot.
But producers have been planning the show for months, with Covid-19 forcing them to set aside the traditional live concert on the west lawn of the Capitol.
Among those who will perform at the event are Jimmy Buffett, Cynthia Erivo, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Jennifer Nettles, Auli’i Cravalho, Train, Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton, Ali Stroker, Jimmie Allen and Laura Osnes. The National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jack Everly, will perform John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare, honoring U.S. participation in the upcoming Summer Games. The orchestra and the Joint Armed Forces Chorus will accompany the fireworks with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
Renee Fleming will open the show with the National Anthem. The concert will honor men and women of the military, with other participants including the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The Joint Armed Forces Chorus and The Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.
The concert, a co-production of Michael Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA-TV, will air on July 4 from 8 PM to 9:30 PM ET on PBS, and it also will be broadcast to the American Forces Network. NPR stations also will air the event, and it will be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and PBS.org through July 18.
