4th of july fireworks
ingrid and i went to see the 4th of july fireworks this weekend. boston is a city known for this celebration so we had high expectations. the fireworks and the music from the boston pops orchestra lived up to the hype, but i found it odd that the orchestra didn’t play throughout the fireworks show; instead, the producers played recorded tunes of lesser-known country tracks. i couldn’t quite understand why these songs were played, but the explosions in the sky made up for those bizarre choices.
in addition to the fireworks, orchestra, and weird country songs, the event was hosted by “tv’s craig ferguson” and there was a live performance by neil diamond for a CBS live broadcast. unfortunately, neither ferguson nor diamond were given much time to shine. it felt like their performances were carefully measured and reserved for the TV-viewing audience instead of the nearly 500,000 people in the crowd lined up along both sides of the charles river in boston and cambridge.
lockhart and ferguson jig: photo by bill brett, boston globe
still, in spite of the limitations on the performances for tv, ferguson was a good host. he kept the evening rolling. diamond was also in good form for two songs (sweet caroline and america), but i didn’t think we got a full dose of either artist. to their credit, both performers tried to entertain the huge crowd. ferguson did a short jig with boston pop’s director keith lockhart during a commercial break, and diamond played another verse from sweet caroline but had to cut it short before the tv cameras went back on. speaking of “sweet caroline,” this song plays during every red sox home game and, apparently, was written with carolyn kennedy in mind. this might explain why this is such a hit in boston, but i still don’t understand how this is such a hit at every wedding in the country.
neil diamond and woman with crazy flag hat: photo by bill brett, boston globe
regardless of the limitations on the artists for the television production, the night was a rousing success and a fantastic reminder of what makes this country great. as we walked down the charles river looking for a perfect viewing station, we were surrounded by people of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. once we settled on a spot, we were behind two elderly, white locals, who seemed to know when the fireworks were coming. they knew exactly when to stand up, and when to ready their lawn chairs so they could leave. in front of them were a younger, rowdier bunch of white, latino and african american kids. this crew, adorned in their red sox gear and tats, would break into chants of “USA, USA, USA” one minute, and “YANKEES SUCK!” the next. Just to the right of us was a woman with a thick Spanish accent who kept yelling, “VIVA USA, VIVA USA.” just to the right of her was a college student tying (very hard) to pick her up.
probably, our tiny corner on the banks of the charles was a microcosm of what went on throughout the city. we all sang along with neil through both versions of sweet caroline, we all oh-ed and aw-ed at the fireworks, and we all enjoyed celebrating another year of this country. it didn’t feel overly jingoistic or political, just communal and fun.
