How to Watch Nashville’s Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th and Who is Performing

July 2, 2023 9:30 am

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Nashville has become one of America’s booming cities over the past decade. From the honky tonks on Broadway to the endless supply of talented musicians working to make their dreams come true, there’s no shortage of entertainment in Music City. That multi-genre talent will be on full display during the annual Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th, taking place in the heart of downtown Nashville on Tuesday (July 4).

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“We are proud that Nashville hosts one of the best July 4th celebrations in the country with A-list acts, an impressive fireworks show, and kid-friendly activities in the Amazon Family Fun Zone,” Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Kevin Lavender said in a statement. “We encourage Nashvillians to come out and enjoy the fireworks and the great music from Brad and the rest of the lineup—all right in their backyard and for free.”

Check out the details of Let Freedom Sing! below.

How to Watch:

Fans can watch the action via CNN and CMT. The festivities begin in downtown Nashville at 12 p.m. CT and conclude with the 30-minute fireworks display that takes place from 9:30 to 10 p.m. CMT will broadcast headliner Brad Paisley’s performance at the Jack Daniel’s stage on Broadway, along with the fireworks display, from 9 to 10 p.m. CT. CNN will also be broadcasting live throughout the night. The fireworks show will be live-streamed online on the Visit Music City website.

Who’s Performing:

The lineup for Let Freedom Sing! showcases the vastness of Nashville’s musicianship. Country superstar, Brad Paisley serves as headliner, with acclaimed Americana husband-and-wife duo The War Treaty, “Brand New” singer Ben Rector, singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim, rising country star Tiera Kennedy, multi-instrumentalist trio Troubadour Blue, cajun-style band Les Kerr & The Bayou Band, and beatboxing-meets-acoustic trio The Magi also set to perform.

Troubadour Blue kicks off the festivities at noon, followed by Kerr’s set at 1 p.m. and The Magi at 3 p.m. Kennedy will perform the national anthem at 4 p.m., with Slim at 4:45 p.m., The War & Treaty at 5:40 p.m., Rector at 6:40 p.m. and Paisley performing from 8:05 to 9:20 p.m.

Following Paisley’s set, the fireworks will begin at nearby Ascend Amphitheater, with accompaniment by the Nashville Symphony, which will perform songs synchronized to the fireworks display. Bass singer and Grammy Award-nominated arranger Armand Hutton will also provide a spoken-word narration during the fireworks.

Fireworks Display:

According to Visit Music City, Nashville will yet again have one of the most “powerful” fireworks shows in the country. An estimated 40,000 pounds of explosives will be used, in addition to 10-inch shells that are larger than a basketball and weigh upwards of 20 pounds. The shells have the capacity to fly 1,000 feet in the air and break at a diameter of the same size.

Photo by Catherine Powell/FilmMagic