Yeeeehaw! Now here's a skyrocket over the Esplanade: Redneck hearthrob Gretchen Wilson, country wild boys Big & Rich and hick-hop sensation Cowboy Troy will be the special guests for this year's Boston Pops Fourth of July Concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. Nobody's gonna complain about this show being boring, that's for sure. In fact, some of the more staid fans of the Pops may swallow their teeth. There's a real debate about the increasing pop-music domination of orchestral pops programs around the country - but hey, if we're going that way, a hot bill like this is the way to do it, instead of the has-beens and middle-of-the-roaders who've often been featured in the past. And not coincidentally, the national TV ratings will kick denim-clad ass. You are likely seeing the effect of CBS clout in luring those performers to join the Pops.
Also sharing the bill with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra will be the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus and the soon-to-be-decided winner of the orchestra's "American Idol"-style POPSearch contest. The last hour of the concert will be broadcast on CBS, featuring a new patriotic song, "Our America," the usual cannon-fueled 1812 Overture and "Stars and Stripes Forever," followed by fireworks. Earlier in the evening will be the Gettsburg Address read by WBZ's Jack Williams and several cuts from the Pops' new record, "America." WBZ-TV will air the 8-10 p.m. portion in Boston. The same bunch will play a warmup show on July 3, minus the bang-bang.
I signed up for your XML/RSS feed and my Bloglines.com is picking it up, but it's picking up last Friday's items. Anything you need to fix on your end?
Posted by: Scott Hersey | June 21, 2005 at 01:31 PM