4th July Concert

Last weekend was Independence Day, 4th July, which apart from meaning an extra day off work, almost passed us by.  The Saturday itself was horrible weather, which didn't help (think it was the first full day and night of rain since early Spring), but Sunday was better, luckily, as we had hoped to be able to go to an outdoor concert at nearby Longs Park.

This was the annual Independence Day concert held by the Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation, and part of the free weekly outdoor concerts they hold during the summer months.  Families are encouraged to bring blankets and camping chairs and coolers to enjoy different types of music each week.

For the 4th July event, crowds of 25,000 were expected, and it was certainly busy when we arrived an hour and a half before the start!  But we managed to squeeze our camping chairs into a small gap in the crowds in front of the amphitheatre and settled in with our picnic and people-watching whilst we waited for things to start.  It was very warm - about 80 degrees, and it didn't really cool down much into the evening.

This concert featured the US Army's Concert Band, and included a number of US orchestral numbers  with the general theme of independence and celebration.  However, the high point was their version of the 1812 overture, timed just as the light fell, and including 16 civil-war era cannons.

You can see my video of the finale of the piece here.


This was then followed by a great fireworks display.

 

An amazing finish to a great evening, only slightly spoiled by the fact that it then took us 55 minutes to get out of the car park, which is 5 minutes from home!