Lenox — The prospect of a July reopening brings a sense of giddy anticipation to Tanglewood fans everywhere, especially with the festival’s ticket supply doubling on June 21. But until Friday afternoon, there was no joy in Lenox for James Taylor fans who recently learned that his August Tanglewood appearance had been postponed until July 2022. (Not much joy for James, either.) The good news is that on Friday the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced an alternative popular music act to appear at Tanglewood on the evening of July 4, the night traditionally reserved for Mr. Taylor’s show.
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra, along with special guests, have kindly agreed to fill in for Mr. Taylor on July 4. Thus has the BSO delivered us all from the prospect of another eerily quiet July 4 evening in Lenox.
The 2021 Boston Pops July 4th Spectacular Concert at Tanglewood features Keith Lockhart leading the Boston Pops in a live televised performance of patriotic favorites, with special appearances by Jon Batiste (Oscar-winning bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and the legendary all-around force of nature, soul singer Mavis Staples. The show runs from 8 to 10:30 p.m.
The fireworks finale — to take place at the Boston Common in partnership with the City of Boston — will also be broadcast as part of the live televised concert and broadcast stream, from 10:30 to 11 p.m. There will be no fireworks show at Tanglewood, nor will concert video or audio accompany the fireworks display at the Boston Common.
Batiste and Staples will be joined by the Six-String Soldiers of the U.S. Army Field Band and the United States Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants (the official chorus of the U.S. Air Force).
The evening’s program will spotlight July 4 favorites — “The Star-Spangled Banner”; a medley saluting our armed forces; a patriotic sing-along; “The Stars and Stripes Forever”; and the always obligatory (and completely over-the-top) Tchaikovsky’s “1812” overture.
The July 4 concert stream will broadcast live on Bloomberg TV and radio, as well as locally in Boston on WHDH-TV channel 7, from 8 to 11 p.m. The concert will be available to stream on bloomberg.com and on bloomberg’s mobile and Apple TV platforms. The stream will be available for 24 days after the July 4 broadcast.
In accordance with limits set by local health authorities for all Tanglewood season performances, the audience on July 4 will be limited to 9,000.
Tanglewood, located between Stockbridge and Lenox, Massachusetts, has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home since 1937. It is one of the world’s premier summer music festivals.
