“Miss Independent” will sing of the nation’s freedom at the “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” next month.
The 42nd annual show, airing July 4, will feature performances by Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Ricky Martin, NBC has announced. American Authors, the band known best for the 2014 track “Believer,” was added to the lineup Tuesday.
Clarkson, who released her latest album, “Meaning of Life,” last fall, will have the honor of singing “God Bless America” in celebration of the song’s 100th anniversary. The network notes she’ll add her own twist to the tune, for an “all-new recording of the patriotic classic.”
She’ll be joined by the bill’s other performers, who will all hit the stage before the fireworks take flight over the East River.
Other talent expected for the show include “American Ninja Warrior’s” Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, who will serve as the night’s co-hosts, and members of the West Point Band and Glee Club, who will perform “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
This year’s show promises to be even more “spectacular” than the last, with more than 75,000 firework shells set to light up the sky. That’s the largest display since the year 2000, according to Macy’s.
Barges will be set up in the East River between the Williamsburg and Kips Bay areas. While the show’s official viewing locations have not yet been announced, the display will be viewable in Manhattan, from midtown to the East Village, in Queens, by Long Island City, and in Brooklyn, by Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
If you can’t make it down to watch — or simply prefer to view it from home — NBC will air the starting at 8 p.m. For more information, visit macys.com/fireworks.
