BOSTON (WHDH) - With just two days to go until the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, conductor Keith Lockhart and the orchestra are preparing for Thursday’s concert at the Hatch Shell.
Around 300,000 people are expected to head to the Esplanade for the show’s 50th anniversary.
“The number of people who come to see this concert live is more people than almost any other orchestra sees in the course of an entire year,” Lockhart said.
Headlining this year’s show is Tony award-winning actress Kelli O’Hara, who has performed with the Pops in the past.
“I’ve never played the Shell, I’ve never done the Fourth of July here, so I was waiting for the call and I’m glad that I received it,” O’Hara said.
The Mavericks, a music group that plays a mix of country and rock, will also take the stage Thursday. The holiday performance comes on the heels of a cancer diagnosis for its lead singer.
“When we were scheduling this first round of chemo, we asked the doctors if we could do it after the Fourth because we wanted to do this gig,” said Raul Malo, the band’s lead singer. “We’ve seen it on TV all these years and it’s truly a bucket list show.”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Darlene Love, well-known for her song about another holiday, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” is also set to perform. She said she will sing some gospel songs and some oldies.
The Singing Sergeants from the U.S. Air Force Band, who joined the July 4 celebrations held at Tanglewood in 2021, are back this year.
Lockhart will once again lead the way, as he has for 29 years now, and he promised some unexpected moments.
“I can’t tell you any more surprises because then they wouldn’t be surprises, but it will be an amazing show,” Lockhart said.
Thursday’s concert begins at 8 p.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m., when fireworks are slated to begin. Fireworks are expected to last a half hour. The event is free and open to the public.
The Oval, the grass-filled area in front of the Hatch Shell, opens at 12 p.m. and admittance is on a first-come, first-served basis. More information about the show can be found here.
The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will be broadcast on 7NEWS. The show is produced by and also airing on Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio. It is sponsored by Herb Chambers.
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