Fourth of July has special meaning to folks here in Boston, in part because they feel a little bit responsible for what happened around that time. So, there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to join what is billed as the Nation's top birthday party.
The radio said that people started showing up at the Hatch Shell at about 7 AM to get good seats. I arrived around 4 PM, after a few pretty ugly downpours. Because there was only one of me, I squeezed into a very nice spot fairly close to the stage with an excellent view. I placed my low lawn chair down and got myself settled in preparation for the show, which would start in about 4.5 hours. I spent the time conversing with the people around me, doing Japanese homework, and eating a picnic dinner that I packed for myself. I sat next to a family from Honduras, which was fun. We talked in Spanish, which I still remember a surprising amount of. Unfortunately, it sort of disrupted my Japanese studying so that I started counting in Spanish during my Japanese class the following night.
The show was spectacular with some July 4th classics by the Boston Pops (1812 overature) and some more playful pieces ("There's no business like show business..."). Rockapella (of Carmen San Diego fame) performed, including their signature theme song which was greeted by amazingly loud cheering from those of my generation. Finally, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performed, backed up by the Pops. Quite an evening lineup, especially when you consider that Dr. Phil MC'd the event!
I actually headed out of the concert area a little early so that I could change my position to a spot with a better view of the fireworks. After a little exploration, I was able to find a spot with an amazing view -- pretty much as close as you can get to the spot where the fireworks actually launch (which is in the middle of the river. I FELT the fireworks as much as I saw them -- each one accompanied by an explosive blast a few seconds after it lit up the sky. It was truly an impressive display and I've never seen the sky lit up in so many different ways. In addition to complete sky coverage and a medley of colors, other unique fireworks were ones that exploded and then after a few seconds of spreading out like a normal firework, the little bits all sped up and spread apart even faster.
In total, they estimate close to half a million people attending the festivities and I think I believe it. It was a mob scene making my way home. I rode my bicycle to the event, but I couldn't start riding until I got to a spot free enough of people so that I wouldn't run anybody over. I still ended up getting home fairly quickly. It was a fun time!
See a few representative photos (from the AP wire -- I didn't have my camera)...