4th of July

A Capitol Fourth Concert

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Holy Moley! What an event! Not that I should be surprised. Every year that this is held, it never fails to amaze. If you didn’t watch it live, you still have a chance to see it anyways. Just log onto pbs.org and watch a feed. Or log onto YouTube. It’s 90 minutes of pure joy and America.

The show opens with the Muppets. How can you go wrong with that? John Stamos mentioned that it was his dream to perform with them. That was always my dream too! You’ll have to watch to see how it turns out. By the way, can you believe that they are 50 years old this year! They don’t look like they’ve aged a bit! Fortunately, there are plenty of times to catch them on your screen.

Photo by MJ Boice. Rehearsal day.

And if you are a reality TV junkie, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the winners and participants from various singing competitions: The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and American Idol.

Early on in the broadcast, John Stamos reminded us all to,

“Love each other as citizens but also as a great, big American family.”

It is great advice in this time in our history. We need to remember our civility as well as our citizenship.

Speaking of civility, the wounded warriors who performed last night were so inspirational. We know that music can heal your soul but watching those men proved that. And having John Stamos behind the drum kit was amazing to see. They sang that country favorite, “Chicken Fried”. You know that gets the crowd going.

But they weren’t the only performers to move my heart. The list of people who came out to share in our nation’s premiere concert is impressive.

  • Lindsey Sterling-electronic violinist extordinaire
  • Laura Osnes-Broadway star
  • Keala Settle-The Greatest Showman performer
  • The O’Jays-celebrated R&B group
  • Gone West with Colbie Caillat
  • Yolanda Adams-gospel singer
  • Lee Brice-country music artist

Carole King and the cast of Beautiful brought me the most joy. She has shared in my young adulthood and the songs in the show bring back so many great memories. I’m happy to see that Vanessa Carlton has taken up the mantle of portraying Carole. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the musical, put it on your list of “to-dos”

But back to the concert at hand. The patriotic music showcased is incredible. After Vanessa Williams sang “America”, she was joined on the stage by a plethora of previous singers to belt out “God Bless America.” It was truly moving. And you should watch it yourself. Just check your local PBS stations for days and times when they are rebroadcasting it.

July 4th PBS photo

And then don’t forget to put it on your calendar for next year. It’ll be the 40th anniversary so it’s sure to be a doozy. You really need to make this show part of your 4th of July family tradition.

PBS A Capitol Fourth Concert-Coming Soon!

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Can you believe that it’s that time of year again? I LOVE watching the programs that Capital Concerts put on. They produce quite a show. The latest Memorial Day concert just solidified their reputation as incredible showmen!

PBS Memorial Day Concert

And now, the PBS 4th of July concert (A Capitol Fourth) is approaching. I have been fortunate enough to be on set during their media day. I was able to see first hand all of the work and coordination that goes into putting on this event. This year, I find myself in Oklahoma so there will be no on-site viewing for me.

Instead, I’m creating a frenzy with my viewing party toolkit that is on the PBS A Capitol Fourth homepage. Not only can you find great recipes, you can see the lineup of superstars who are participating. I’m so happy to see John Stamos hosting again. He is an incredible emcee.

There are even invitations that can be downloaded. There is no excuse not to go all out with this. When I was overseas, this was one event that was always perfect to showcase for our international friends. I had to construct my own invites but not anymore! PBS has made it simple.

And why wouldn’t you want to make this a big deal? PBS will be live streaming it from the West Lawn on Facebook, YouTube and their homepage as well as on NPR stations. It starts at 8:00pm ET. Not only that, but if you are overseas, the Armed Forces Network will be showing it too. And if you miss it, you have opportunities to watch it again right afterwards at 9:30 ET. There is no reason you can’t partake in this experience.

As the time gets closer, I’ll fill you in on the incredible talent. This is just your wake-up call to get ready to celebrate our nation’s birthday in style!