Our Nations birthday July 4, 1976. I was nine years old and my extremely introvert father decides that he, my Mom and I are venturing out into Boston with thousands of people to celebrate. We arrived on the Esplanade by MBTA from 1131 Hyde Park Ave, Hyde Park MA at noon. My Mom and I were frequent travelers on the T but Dad had never ever set foot on a bus, train or trolley though he lived his entire life up until then in HP. My dad had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1964 and the heat and humidity that day took a horrific toll on him. My entire childhood my home was filled with music on vinyl, an entire bookcase in our sitting room, dedicated to classical music and every album of the Boston Pops with conductor Arthur Fiedler. My father, Robert McLean, always said that he himself had been born too late and belonged in the world 200 years before. He loved Naval history. Rudyard Kipling and Tchaikovsky. Most of the day is a blur for me. I just remember being crushed by so many people and losing my parents multiple times in the crowd for what seemed like hours on end, but may have been only minutes. I remember having to pee in a cup lol and being so tired that I think I slept through most of the afternoon into the evening. The strongest memory of that day is part of my soul. Having my father hold my hand on one side, my mother on the other, hearing the booming Howitzer Artillery, the 1812 Overture and looking up and seeing my father crying. It was the only time in my life that I ever saw tears streaming down his cheeks. In 1985 my Dad’s MS had made it so he couldn’t walk and mainly used a wheelchair. He asked me to take my fiancé Steve Gabbert to the celebration. We ended up on the Boston Commons and that night as I held my fiancé’s hand during the booming, I cried. I live in Arizona now. Every July 4th I watch the Boston Pops to see classmate Richard Kelley play and to cry again during the booming, remebering my Dad. I miss you Grump ❤️
I was there...9 yrs old as well. I lived near Hershey, Pa. and spent that summer of 76 at my Grandpas house in Brockton along with my Dad. That day I remember folks plopping thier coolers right on my legs as I slept . We were there early and it just kept filling in. I also recalled looking back to the top of the tall buildings and seeing cameras and people up there. It took many recallections over the years for me to combine that part of the memories and the fact that it might be on You Tube. One of my Dads friends was Hot for some girl ,that was selling Tee-shirts. So in order to win her favor, he put me on his shoulders...with Raggedy cut offs, bare feet and one of those shirts in a large . We peddled those shirts from the crowd at the stage all the way to and along the river bank. He was shouting " buy a shirt to support poor children ". Not a tough sell for how skinny I was. I had that shirt well into my teens. So glad I found this vid and surprised how much i could recall.
I was student at Boston U and stayed in Boston in the summer. Went to esplanade with my friends to see this fantastic Boston Pops Concert. Amazing concert! Amazing time in America .
Arthur Fiedler was my neighbor back in the 1970's. A very humble man. Used to talk with him, was a guest in his house on many occasions. To him it was all about the music. Unfortunately he achieved success at great sacrafice to himself. He wanted to conduct the great symphonies but was left to play marches, etc. It was only when he went to conduct the London Symphony, or other orchestras that he accomplished his goal. "Every fool wants to be Shakespear he once said" Im left to be a peerles Puck". but the memories of this concert and others will live with me forever.
I was a child when I first heard this broadcast in 1976. It has echoed in my mind ever since. I so badly wish that I could thank Maestro Fiedler for the endless sense of wonder and love of my country that he has given me through his diligent work as a conductor and musician.
So long ago, I was a young Captain of the Field Artillery and Commander of C Battery 1-101 FA, Lynn MA ARNG which provided the cannons for this spectacular event!
Both of my parents were in the orchestra for this concert, which was probably one of the weirdest experiences they had as classical musicians. They said they felt like rock stars, not symphony musicians, because of the size of the crowd & the response.
you should not feel weird. The overture itself, at its time, was much like a battle remix, something of showbiz, unlike other pieces of classical music
So, what's the problem? Old people throwing babies in the air, long-hairs, fireworks? This was a ROCK concert! I wish we had more concerts like this. Congrats to both your parents and please rely my appreciations to each that each are "rock stars".
I was there. Fiedler was my neighbor. Remember driving back to my house later that night and seeing him sitting alone on his front porch. Walter Cronkite called this day "THE CRESCENDO IN A DAY OF CRESENDO'S"-how true.
Are you serious?! That’s awesome! I grew up listening to the pops as a little boy. Either John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. How was Fiedler as a person?
The average person in that crowd didn't know what was being played til that first hint of the ending just a few minutes into it. When they cheered, you could see the big smile on Fielder's face. It was great.
I love the moment at the 5:17 mark where the crowd hears that familiar theme which later concludes the "1812 Overture" and cheer eliciting a smile from Fiedler.
Incomparable. I was not in attendance, and my parents weren't in the orchestra. but I watched it live on tv that night. It was a proud day and this was a perfect ending. No one does it better than Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.
To everyone commenting- I don't know you, but I love how everyone remembers and appreciates this. A glorious, long summer day capped off by this. People were proud and happy. I myself was 9 years old and no where near Boston that night, but I still feel the spirit of it all!
So awesome to be there in person, that very day, July 4, 1976, on blanket on grass, up front of the Hatch Shell, witnessing the best Fourth of July Celebration in history! All the famous Boston area church bells choreographed with howitzer cannons and fireworks. Arthur Fiedler, you were amazing. Fun memories.
I posted a comment. I was at 150 Beacon overlooking the Esplanade. I'll never forget the church bells! Glad you documented this too. It's a special memory.
I was there on a rooftop overlooking the Esplanade with some of my dorm mates. The dorm directors invited us back to a party that night and we went to the roof of 150 Beacon (our student residence at Emerson College and the old governor's mansion) to view and listen to this spectacle. All (or many of Back Bay's or Boston's) church bells rang out at the finale which might have been around midnight. You can hear them under the music and cannons if you listen carefully. You can't hear the bells easily in this video because the performance had to have been miked for the stage, but the bells were an enormous part of the finale, maybe even more than the cannons and fireworks. I think because we were on the roof (5 floors), the bells were particularly distinct: a spectacular synchronization. It's amazing to find this here. Quite a memory!
The producer and benefactor of this show for the past 40 years has been David Mugar who is going to do it one last time this year. They will need some corporate sponsors to be able to go on. Mugar was friendly with Fiedler. They used to meet at all night diners around the city. He suggested this venue to Fiedler and he went for it completely. Mugar recently told the story of this Bicentennial concert when Fiedler went to the rooftop of an adjacent building and looked down at the crowd that was estimated to be 750,000 and was totally overwhelmed. It has grown since then and continues to grow.
I wasn’t in attendance on this occasion but his ability to transcend so many divides and ages in the use of music was breath-taking, even 50+ years later. I did get to see him and the Pops at Tanglewood one summer. Our family had a modest picnic dinner. The next group over was eating fried chicken (KFC) on China with dinnerware that was probably silver and drinking champagne in champagne flutes. We were truly out classed but my bologna and cheese was good for me.
I was there; just graduated from undergrad. Beautiful day and night. So many people, but no violence; everyone was so happy all day. Concert with the Pops and Fiedler was spectacular. Cannons, fireworks, church bells…I remember thinking “I will remember this for the rest of my life…68 yrs old today…remember it like it was yesterday. RIP Maestro Fiedler
I am old now, and one of the fondest memories I have is of sitting on a picnic blanket with my family, somewhere in this happy crowd, and being a part of the Boston Pops’ July 4th Bicentennial celebration. We so loved the Pops, and of course Arthur Fiedler!!
I watched this concert on TV on July 4th, 1976 and never forgot it. I was only 12 years old but this was just the most moving music on the most moving occasion. Years later, when I was in the high school band, this was my favourite piece to play as a French Horn player. It sent chills down my spine. So glad that this footage still exists, 47 years later. It was a different era but this music is TIMELESS. Pure genius all around, from the composition to the conductor, the orchestra to the audience and the setting and the historic moment. ....and that ending, with the guns and fireworks going off to the music, oh the humanity - simply brilliant and still brings a tears to my eyes - BRAVO!!!! ENCORE!!
I was there along the river bank as a 13 year old with my family and I still remember how the ground shook when the fired the cannons. And the mass of people there was amazing!
Wonderfully rousing -- the final cannonade brings tears to my eyes! Only Fiedler could've done this. And, yes, Shadowace, I remember my mom making me watch it on our local PBS station, telling me I was to witness something historic.
That was a glorious performance! My dad was a blue collar worker, and never had the chance to play an instrument. But he had a deep love for our country (World War II vet) and loved his classical music. He often played it at home, and passed that appreciation to me! The 1812 Overture was one of his favorites, and he was the one who introduced it to me. I remember watching this on TV with him. He's been gone for 44 years now, and I can never hear this without thinking of him, and how lucky we were to have him as a dad! He loved the Boston Pops❤
I was there. The tall ships were in town. Spent the night dancing with French sailors at Lucifer. The Shirelles were playing live that night and I was 21. Oh my, how things change.
Phenomenal, my oboe teacher Ira Deutsch was playing Principal. he replaced my other one recently retired, John Holmes. The Bicentennial on April 19 in Concord, MA where I was born and raised was surreal! I was touring Italy with the Rome Festival Orchestra a Junior in High School that summer and missed this. Thanks for posting! Many of my friends and professors on this stage. The next summer I was a student at Tanglewood and got to know even more. I performed 1812 Overture on English horn for the Winston-Salem Symphony 4th of July in 1982 under the direction of Peter Peret. It was awesome!
Omg! The memories this just brought back! I was 8 years old, and TERRIFIED of crowds. I remember the cannons being a LOT louder, and scaring the crap out of me. BUT I also remember this was one of the best times I had as a kid! Thank you for the walk down memory lane. This was an emotional trip! :)
I was going to bu at the time and me and my friend decided to go to this celebration it was one of the most amazing things still remember this all these years later!
I was there that night-too young to remember much but do have one very vivid memory of standing along the Charles and people tossing sparklers onto the water. I also remember the Tall Ships that day. One of Boston’s great nights.
Boston authorities were overwhelmed by the crowd. Expecting 50,000 people, some 650,000 to 750,000 people streamed into the city and to the banks of the Charles River. The 1976 concert made this event what it is today, the "focal point" of America's July 4th celebrations.
Just happened to stumble across a July 3rd concert in 1973. I was amazed and hooked from then on until I moved from New England many years later. Fiedler was Boston.
THE FOURTH OF JULY IS EXTRA SPECIAL FOR THE PADULO FAMILY! Back in September, 1975, the USA was only 199 years old. Katharine Padulo and I left Toyon Hall at Stanford with our young sons Robert Padulo and Joseph Padulo (aged 8 and 5, respectively) and moved into Myles Standish Hall of Boston University where I was appointed as "Faculty In Residence" and Dean of the College of Engineering. At the end of that academic year, in July, 1976, for our first Fourth of July in Boston, we attended the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Old State House balcony and then entered Faneuil Hall to hear the "Patriotic Oration". (The Oration was delivered that year by my boss, BU President John Silber, on "Democracy: Its Counterfeits and Its Promise", later published as a monograph. Bobby and Joseph, handsome in their blazers, sat attentively in the first row.) Prominent African American baritone Ernest Triplett sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic as we had never heard it before. (We would repeat this cherished family ritual every July 4th for the next thirteen years.) At sunset on that balmy evening, with our Kenmore Square dorm almost deserted for the holiday, we grilled steaks on the Myles Standish roof to watch the fireworks. We had a high-quality boom box tuned to Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops in their Bicentennial Concert that would feature actual cannons being fired and real church bells being rung all over Boston and Cambridge as part of the main event: Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Gazing down from our rooftop picnic we could see lines of people carrying lawn chairs, blankets and coolers along Storrow Drive and small boats inching up the Charles River to get close to the Hatch Shell at the Esplanade for the concert. And then, when darkness fell, the concert began. It was a magical night to end a magical day. (I imagine they had a fine Fourth celebration in our present home town, Philadelphia, but I was very happy to be in Boston that day.) Little did we know how magical that Independence Day really was because many miles away, my beautiful daughter in law, Angel Raffanello Padulo was born. Not only do we celebrate Angel's birthday on July 4, but our lovely Portland, Oregon, granddaughter Edie Eugenia Padulo shares that auspicious birthday as well. God Bless America and God Bless Angel Padulo and Edie Padulo. Turn up the sound to enjoy this patriotic concert for America’s 200th birthday.
LOL, "his truth is mahchin' ahwn" only in Boston! This is so cool, many of my teachers are playing this concert including Principal Oboist Ira Deutsch! Great concert and video, thanks for sharing!
I was there as a 6yo (birthday was the 5th) kid with my mother, father and grandparents. Turned 50 this year and nothing has left such a lasting mark on me.
I was there. Wow Such a Blast From The Past. It was amazing. He was amazing. Arthur Fiedler will always be Mr. Pops to me. loved him and me ma loved him dearly too.
Somewhen between that concert and 1984, when I joined the NAVY, I watched the 4th of July Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops simulcast with my late Poppa. The sound was carried on radio stations so that you got the video on TV and full stereo sound on the radio at the same time! It was fabulous My Pop and I agreed on few things, but classical music was one of them
Yes I was there it was awesome. My son and friends and sisters didn't want to go. I had to drag them all. lol NOW in their 50s that's all they talk about. remember when....YOU want that AMERICA back imagine how us ole timers feelm seeing what is happening. VOTE
Well we will never have THAT America back. WE have people min America who hate America. Progressives, liberals, illegals who dont give a crap about the USA. People who come here to get welfare and free stuff. They have no idea about America or its history. I dream of having THAT America back.
thank you for putting this up. this is the first time i have ever seen arthur fiedler and his remarkable conducting. i have heard several times the boston pops symphony orchestra but never under the leadership of this remarkable man. again thank you
Just a couple years out of the Arab oil embargo,Jaws still relatively new..that independence day seemed huge to me... but I was 11 ..I'm not sure if it really was ? The hype was huge, I remember it well. My dad turned me on to the POPs w A F when I was a kid ..the Best of, LP from 65
I miss Arthur Fiedler and Seiji Ozawa so much!! The 4th has never been the same in Boston without one of them leading the Pops. That was a crazy and awesome 4th of July. 16 yr old me went to Foxboro for the Elton John concert. My brothers & cousins went to the Red Sox game. The concert was amazing and the Sox won. Good times!
1 WAS THERE WITH MY FAMILY. NEVER FORGET! FYI- NOW BOSTON POPS PERFORMS AT ESPLANADE (LOCATION OF HATCH SHELL) DURING MOST EVERY JUNE. OTHER CONCERTS (ROCK,BOSTON BALLET, AND OLD MOVIE) PERFORM THE REST OF THE SUMMER. ESPLANADE VERY ROMANTIC EVENINGS. UM...
Out of Raleigh, NC - no Boston Pops tonight on any channel - so I came here to watch and then sharing on Facebook. It just isn’t 4th of July until I’ve had me some ‘Pops!’ July 4, 2018 - 42 years later, it stands the test of time.
Thank you for sharing this video. I have wondered if any broadcast recordings existed of the BPO during this time--particularly of these type of concerts.
Charles Collingwood was the narrator. Mr. Collingwood was a former CBS News correspondent. He was in the running to anchor ABC News broadcasts in the early 1960s but he chose to stay with CBS News.
I love this. My experience that day was the complete opposite. I was visiting a friend in a very small town in the Berkshires. The official even for the day was 3 guys dressed in Revelutionary War uniforms march down the main street to the town's war memorial.
This concert extends for more than a few miles down the esplanade so that you can't even see the shell but there are speakers throughout the park. Arthur Fiedler is a legend. Absolute goat of July 4th in Boston. He brought the classical and the party atmosphere. Everyone had a blast. It's not quite the same now. John Williams was tremendous as well but Keith Lockhart is a bit of a bore. I remember the fire works went off with the music. Not anymore.
I attended this Fourth of July Celebration in 1976. It was Awesome.
God Bless America!
Our Nations birthday July 4, 1976. I was nine years old and my extremely introvert father decides that he, my Mom and I are venturing out into Boston with thousands of people to celebrate. We arrived on the Esplanade by MBTA from 1131 Hyde Park Ave, Hyde Park MA at noon. My Mom and I were frequent travelers on the T but Dad had never ever set foot on a bus, train or trolley though he lived his entire life up until then in HP.
My dad had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1964 and the heat and humidity that day took a horrific toll on him.
My entire childhood my home was filled with music on vinyl, an entire bookcase in our sitting room, dedicated to classical music and every album of the Boston Pops with conductor Arthur Fiedler.
My father, Robert McLean, always said that he himself had been born too late and belonged in the world 200 years before. He loved Naval history. Rudyard Kipling and Tchaikovsky.
Most of the day is a blur for me. I just remember being crushed by so many people and losing my parents multiple times in the crowd for what seemed like hours on end, but may have been only minutes. I remember having to pee in a cup lol and being so tired that I think I slept through most of the afternoon into the evening.
The strongest memory of that day is part of my soul. Having my father hold my hand on one side, my mother on the other, hearing the booming Howitzer Artillery, the 1812 Overture and looking up and seeing my father crying. It was the only time in my life that I ever saw tears streaming down his cheeks.
In 1985 my Dad’s MS had made it so he couldn’t walk and mainly used a wheelchair. He asked me to take my fiancé Steve Gabbert to the celebration. We ended up on the Boston Commons and that night as I held my fiancé’s hand during the booming, I cried.
I live in Arizona now. Every July 4th I watch the Boston Pops to see classmate Richard Kelley play and to cry again during the booming, remebering my Dad.
I miss you Grump ❤️
I was 11 and in that crowd as well.
I was there...9 yrs old as well. I lived near Hershey, Pa. and spent that summer of 76 at my Grandpas house in Brockton along with my Dad. That day I remember folks plopping thier coolers right on my legs as I slept . We were there early and it just kept filling in.
I also recalled looking back to the top of the tall buildings and seeing cameras and people up there. It took many recallections over the years for me to combine that part of the memories and the fact that it might be on You Tube.
One of my Dads friends was Hot for some girl ,that was selling Tee-shirts.
So in order to win her favor, he put me on his shoulders...with Raggedy cut offs, bare feet and one of those shirts in a large . We peddled those shirts from the crowd at the stage all the way to and along the river bank. He was shouting
" buy a shirt to support poor children ". Not a tough sell for how skinny I was.
I had that shirt well into my teens.
So glad I found this vid and surprised how much i could recall.
It was my second year in Boston. I spent the entire concert sitting in a tree directly behind the line of howitzers. That is a memorable 4th of July!
I was student at Boston U and stayed in Boston in the summer. Went to esplanade with my friends to see this fantastic Boston Pops Concert. Amazing concert! Amazing time in America .
Me too! Then we went to Lucifers with my BU classmates.
I was a Freshman living at Towers for the summer.😊
Happy 4th old timer.
Arthur Fiedler was my neighbor back in the 1970's. A very humble man. Used to talk with him, was a guest in his house on many occasions. To him it was all about the music. Unfortunately he achieved success at great sacrafice to himself. He wanted to conduct the great symphonies but was left to play marches, etc. It was only when he went to conduct the London Symphony, or other orchestras that he accomplished his goal. "Every fool wants to be Shakespear he once said" Im left to be a peerles Puck". but the memories of this concert and others will live with me forever.
Thanks for sharing that memory!
I was a child when I first heard this broadcast in 1976. It has echoed in my mind ever since. I so badly wish that I could thank Maestro Fiedler for the endless sense of wonder and love of my country that he has given me through his diligent work as a conductor and musician.
So long ago, I was a young Captain of the Field Artillery and Commander of C Battery 1-101 FA, Lynn MA ARNG which provided the cannons for this spectacular event!
Thank you for playing your part sir!! God bless America 🇺🇸
Both of my parents were in the orchestra for this concert, which was probably one of the weirdest experiences they had as classical musicians. They said they felt like rock stars, not symphony musicians, because of the size of the crowd & the response.
poundfoolish98 I bet everyone who gets to play with the Pops on the 4th has this feeling. It's classical's biggest stage.
I was there in the front rows ... it was like a rock concert ... truly amazing !!! Historical ... thank you !!!
you should not feel weird. The overture itself, at its time, was much like a battle remix, something of showbiz, unlike other pieces of classical music
So, what's the problem? Old people throwing babies in the air, long-hairs, fireworks? This was a ROCK concert! I wish we had more concerts like this. Congrats to both your parents and please rely my appreciations to each that each are "rock stars".
That's very cool.
A deeply stirring and memorable celebration of America. Bold and unapologetic. Unforgettable. A fitting commemoration of 200 years of freedom.
In two more years, 2026, the USA will be 250 yrs old! Lord willing, I’ll be here to see it! ❤🇺🇸❤️🎉❤️🗽❤️🎆❤️🇮🇱❤️
The part that always makes me teary is at the 14:30 mark when the audience stood in wonder to hear every church bell in Boston ringing.
I was there. Fiedler was my neighbor. Remember driving back to my house later that night and seeing him sitting alone on his front porch. Walter Cronkite called this day "THE CRESCENDO IN A DAY OF CRESENDO'S"-how true.
That's such a great story.:)
A Great Great Man
Are you serious?! That’s awesome! I grew up listening to the pops as a little boy. Either John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. How was Fiedler as a person?
Pretty Cool. I remember Arthur + was there at the Bicentennial! 🇺🇲🇺🇲
The average person in that crowd didn't know what was being played til that first hint of the ending just a few minutes into it. When they cheered, you could see the big smile on Fielder's face. It was great.
I love the moment at the 5:17 mark where the crowd hears that familiar theme which later concludes the "1812 Overture" and cheer eliciting a smile from Fiedler.
We were there. I had just finished a nursing shift at Mass General and met up with family . We will never forget this performance. Truly spectacular
Incomparable. I was not in attendance, and my parents weren't in the orchestra. but I watched it live on tv that night. It was a proud day and this was a perfect ending. No one does it better than Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.
To everyone commenting- I don't know you, but I love how everyone remembers and appreciates this. A glorious, long summer day capped off by this. People were proud and happy. I myself was 9 years old and no where near Boston that night, but I still feel the spirit of it all!
I was there for one of THE most remarkable nights of my 70 year life.
Loved it. Will never forget it!
The late Great Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops was some of the music I grew up with. Just fabulous music!
Maestro Fielder is a legend. I remember his last few years. Loved watching Evening at Pops
I used Evening at Pops. Too bad the BSO and PBS had to pull funding. It was better than that liberal clap trap that PBS shows now.
So awesome to be there in person, that very day, July 4, 1976, on blanket on grass, up front of the Hatch Shell, witnessing the best Fourth of July Celebration in history! All the famous Boston area church bells choreographed with howitzer cannons and fireworks. Arthur Fiedler, you were amazing. Fun memories.
I posted a comment. I was at 150 Beacon overlooking the Esplanade. I'll never forget the church bells! Glad you documented this too. It's a special memory.
I was there on a rooftop overlooking the Esplanade with some of my dorm mates. The dorm directors invited us back to a party that night and we went to the roof of 150 Beacon (our student residence at Emerson College and the old governor's mansion) to view and listen to this spectacle. All (or many of Back Bay's or Boston's) church bells rang out at the finale which might have been around midnight. You can hear them under the music and cannons if you listen carefully. You can't hear the bells easily in this video because the performance had to have been miked for the stage, but the bells were an enormous part of the finale, maybe even more than the cannons and fireworks. I think because we were on the roof (5 floors), the bells were particularly distinct: a spectacular synchronization. It's amazing to find this here. Quite a memory!
This made me cry today.
I mourn for my country. It’s dying.
I was there, with my husband and infant son. It was amazing...
I was looking at the babies they would be about 45 now.
I was there too: It was wonderful!
Just returned from 6 years in Europe with 4 kids What a homecoming!!
The producer and benefactor of this show for the past 40 years has been David Mugar who is going to do it one last time this year. They will need some corporate sponsors to be able to go on. Mugar was friendly with Fiedler. They used to meet at all night diners around the city. He suggested this venue to Fiedler and he went for it completely. Mugar recently told the story of this Bicentennial concert when Fiedler went to the rooftop of an adjacent building and looked down at the crowd that was estimated to be 750,000 and was totally overwhelmed. It has grown since then and continues to grow.
I wasn’t in attendance on this occasion but his ability to transcend so many divides and ages in the use of music was breath-taking, even 50+ years later. I did get to see him and the Pops at Tanglewood one summer. Our family had a modest picnic dinner. The next group over was eating fried chicken (KFC) on China with dinnerware that was probably silver and drinking champagne in champagne flutes. We were truly out classed but my bologna and cheese was good for me.
I was there; just graduated from undergrad. Beautiful day and night. So many people, but no violence; everyone was so happy all day. Concert with the Pops and Fiedler was spectacular. Cannons, fireworks, church bells…I remember thinking “I will remember this for the rest of my life…68 yrs old today…remember it like it was yesterday. RIP Maestro Fiedler
I always loved watching the Boston Pops with Arthur Fiedler. He brought the 4th of July alive for me.
I am old now, and one of the fondest memories I have is of sitting on a picnic blanket with my family, somewhere in this happy crowd, and being a part of the Boston Pops’ July 4th Bicentennial celebration. We so
loved the Pops, and of course Arthur Fiedler!!
Another "I was there!" So exciting and patriotism was strong that night. Arthur Fiedler, a Boston icon.
I watched this concert on TV on July 4th, 1976 and never forgot it. I was only 12 years old but this was just the most moving music on the most moving occasion. Years later, when I was in the high school band, this was my favourite piece to play as a French Horn player. It sent chills down my spine. So glad that this footage still exists, 47 years later. It was a different era but this music is TIMELESS. Pure genius all around, from the composition to the conductor, the orchestra to the audience and the setting and the historic moment. ....and that ending, with the guns and fireworks going off to the music, oh the humanity - simply brilliant and still brings a tears to my eyes - BRAVO!!!! ENCORE!!
I was there along the river bank as a 13 year old with my family and I still remember how the ground shook when the fired the cannons. And the mass of people there was amazing!
What a shame the sound isnt preserved from this .. such a great man ! Arthur Fiedler forevahhh!!
Wonderfully rousing -- the final cannonade brings tears to my eyes! Only Fiedler could've done this. And, yes, Shadowace, I remember my mom making me watch it on our local PBS station, telling me I was to witness something historic.
I was in the front rows 18 years old I'll never forget it ... I knew i was witnessing history !!!
I was there on the Esplanade July 4. 1976. A memorable experience.
Mamolax3 So was I!! Many happy, happy memories-- thank you, whoever posted this!
That was a glorious performance! My dad was a blue collar worker, and never had the chance to play an instrument. But he had a deep love for our country (World War II vet) and loved his classical music. He often played it at home, and passed that appreciation to me! The 1812 Overture was one of his favorites, and he was the one who introduced it to me. I remember watching this on TV with him. He's been gone for 44 years now, and I can never hear this without thinking of him, and how lucky we were to have him as a dad! He loved the Boston Pops❤
I was there with my family.
6 years old. Unforgettable!
I was there. The tall ships were in town.
Spent the night dancing with French sailors at Lucifer.
The Shirelles were playing live that night and I was 21.
Oh my, how things change.
Phenomenal, my oboe teacher Ira Deutsch was playing Principal. he replaced my other one recently retired, John Holmes. The Bicentennial on April 19 in Concord, MA where I was born and raised was surreal! I was touring Italy with the Rome Festival Orchestra a Junior in High School that summer and missed this. Thanks for posting! Many of my friends and professors on this stage. The next summer I was a student at Tanglewood and got to know even more. I performed 1812 Overture on English horn for the Winston-Salem Symphony 4th of July in 1982 under the direction of Peter Peret. It was awesome!
Omg! The memories this just brought back! I was 8 years old, and TERRIFIED of crowds. I remember the cannons being a LOT louder, and scaring the crap out of me. BUT I also remember this was one of the best times I had as a kid! Thank you for the walk down memory lane. This was an emotional trip! :)
I was there! We were all very lucky to have Arthur Fiedler there for the bi-centennial, he died only three years later at age ~85.
Hard to believe this was over 40 years ago now.
I know, I was just a baby! :-) (I was 29 years old)
1976 was a great year to be alive I was 14.
I was going to bu at the time and me and my friend decided to go to this celebration it was one of the most amazing things still remember this all these years later!
I was there that night-too young to remember much but do have one very vivid memory of standing along the Charles and people tossing sparklers onto the water. I also remember the Tall Ships that day. One of Boston’s great nights.
Was there with a blanket and my old boyfriend. We had a decent view of the stage as well. Spetacular.
Boston authorities were overwhelmed by the crowd.
Expecting 50,000 people, some 650,000 to 750,000 people streamed into the city and to the banks of the Charles River.
The 1976 concert made this event what it is today, the "focal point" of America's July 4th celebrations.
yeah, too bad it's gone downhill since then
Wow
Look like a Trump Rally.
It’s ok
You can no longer see the Boston Pops except on July 4th and at Christmas. I miss watching them on PBS.
Just happened to stumble across a July 3rd concert in 1973. I was amazed and hooked from then on until I moved from New England many years later. Fiedler was Boston.
THE FOURTH OF JULY IS EXTRA SPECIAL FOR THE PADULO FAMILY! Back in September, 1975, the USA was only 199 years old. Katharine Padulo and I left Toyon Hall at Stanford with our young sons Robert Padulo and Joseph Padulo (aged 8 and 5, respectively) and moved into Myles Standish Hall of Boston University where I was appointed as "Faculty In Residence" and Dean of the College of Engineering. At the end of that academic year, in July, 1976, for our first Fourth of July in Boston, we attended the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Old State House balcony and then entered Faneuil Hall to hear the "Patriotic Oration". (The Oration was delivered that year by my boss, BU President John Silber, on "Democracy: Its Counterfeits and Its Promise", later published as a monograph. Bobby and Joseph, handsome in their blazers, sat attentively in the first row.) Prominent African American baritone Ernest Triplett sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic as we had never heard it before. (We would repeat this cherished family ritual every July 4th for the next thirteen years.) At sunset on that balmy evening, with our Kenmore Square dorm almost deserted for the holiday, we grilled steaks on the Myles Standish roof to watch the fireworks. We had a high-quality boom box tuned to Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops in their Bicentennial Concert that would feature actual cannons being fired and real church bells being rung all over Boston and Cambridge as part of the main event: Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Gazing down from our rooftop picnic we could see lines of people carrying lawn chairs, blankets and coolers along Storrow Drive and small boats inching up the Charles River to get close to the Hatch Shell at the Esplanade for the concert. And then, when darkness fell, the concert began. It was a magical night to end a magical day.
(I imagine they had a fine Fourth celebration in our present home town, Philadelphia, but I was very happy to be in Boston that day.)
Little did we know how magical that Independence Day really was because many miles away, my beautiful daughter in law, Angel Raffanello Padulo was born. Not only do we celebrate Angel's birthday on July 4, but our lovely Portland, Oregon, granddaughter Edie Eugenia Padulo shares that auspicious birthday as well.
God Bless America and God Bless Angel Padulo and Edie Padulo.
Turn up the sound to enjoy this patriotic concert for America’s 200th birthday.
LOL, "his truth is mahchin' ahwn" only in Boston! This is so cool, many of my teachers are playing this concert including Principal Oboist Ira Deutsch! Great concert and video, thanks for sharing!
I was there with two other drunks. I woke up under some shrubbery in front of a home in Cambridge the next morning. Good times.
How did you get there? Fielder drove you?
Did you catch the Sawx game that day?
I was there! I remember the immense crowds, awesome music and cannon, and not enough port-a-potties!
I was there as a 6yo (birthday was the 5th) kid with my mother, father and grandparents. Turned 50 this year and nothing has left such a lasting mark on me.
I was there for this concert and it was AMAZING!!!
I will never for get it ~~~~ the best 4th of July ever!!!!!
Its so good to see Arthur Fiedler again, with they would show the old shows again.
I was there. Wow Such a Blast From The Past. It was amazing. He was amazing. Arthur Fiedler will always be Mr. Pops to me. loved him and me ma loved him dearly too.
The wife and I were there that night. Before the kids were just a twinkle in our eyes.
Wow. Arthur Fiedler. RIP Old Man.
Somewhen between that concert and 1984, when I joined the NAVY, I watched the 4th of July Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops simulcast with my late Poppa. The sound was carried on radio stations so that you got the video on TV and full stereo sound on the radio at the same time!
It was fabulous
My Pop and I agreed on few things, but classical music was one of them
This is so awesome. I want this America back.
Yes I was there it was awesome. My son and friends and sisters didn't want to go. I had to drag them all. lol NOW in their 50s that's all they talk about. remember when....YOU want that AMERICA back imagine how us ole timers feelm seeing what is happening. VOTE
Wow! I just stumbled across this!!! Amazing! I too want this America back!
Well we will never have THAT America back. WE have people min America who hate America. Progressives, liberals, illegals who dont give a crap about the USA. People who come here to get welfare and free stuff. They have no idea about America or its history. I dream of having THAT America back.
VOTE the LIBS out!!!
It's people like you who vote for fools like Trump who are ruining our wonderful country.
Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops introduced me to the magic of music during a field trip when I was in the 5th grade
thank you for putting this up. this is the first time i have ever seen arthur fiedler and his remarkable conducting. i have heard several times the boston pops symphony orchestra but never under the leadership of this remarkable man. again thank you
I was there for this! Have never forgotten it. I have lived in DC and experienced the 4th there too--but NO ONE does it like Boston does!
I was only 13 months old when this occurred so obviously I didn't see it but I'm damn glad it was captured on video for posterity.
Best thing ever on CZcams!
Was there also. Sitting far back with friends on a blanket. Amazing to have been there.
Just a couple years out of the Arab oil embargo,Jaws still relatively new..that independence day seemed huge to me... but I was 11 ..I'm not sure if it really was ? The hype was huge, I remember it well. My dad turned me on to the POPs w A F when I was a kid ..the Best of, LP from 65
Sadly there is no way today's July 4's crowd could sing along to that song, it's no longer taught in schools.
I remember watching this on TV. Thank you for refreshing the memories!
I miss Arthur Fiedler and Seiji Ozawa so much!! The 4th has never been the same in Boston without one of them leading the Pops.
That was a crazy and awesome 4th of July. 16 yr old me went to Foxboro for the Elton John concert. My brothers & cousins went to the Red Sox game. The concert was amazing and the Sox won. Good times!
Not a Keith Lockhart fan???
@@deirdrekiely6187 john williams
Great thank you for the upload. I remember watching him on PBS growing up in Cleveland Ohio.
1 WAS THERE WITH MY FAMILY. NEVER FORGET! FYI- NOW BOSTON POPS PERFORMS AT ESPLANADE (LOCATION OF HATCH SHELL) DURING MOST EVERY JUNE. OTHER CONCERTS (ROCK,BOSTON BALLET, AND OLD MOVIE) PERFORM THE REST OF THE SUMMER. ESPLANADE VERY ROMANTIC EVENINGS. UM...
Out of Raleigh, NC - no Boston Pops tonight on any channel - so I came here to watch and then sharing on Facebook. It just isn’t 4th of July until I’ve had me some ‘Pops!’ July 4, 2018 - 42 years later, it stands the test of time.
Glorious! I was 7 and remember watching this on TV!
Thanks for posting! I was NOT there, in fact, but vividly remember watching it on TV
Thank you for sharing this video. I have wondered if any broadcast recordings existed of the BPO during this time--particularly of these type of concerts.
I was born in 71, but know I watched this from Canada on PBS with my parents.
Thanks for posting. I liked that guy growing up.
The "1812 Overture" is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
I guess we we all there! I was front and center 120 feet back-friends got there 5AM to procure blanket space. What a memorable night!
So fabulous and we were so lucky to have enjoyed this.
Proud to say I was there. Walter Cronkite called this event on July 4, 1976, "THE CRESCENDO IN A DAY OF CRESCENDOS>"
Yes, I was there in 1975 and 1976. Both were great concerts.
It poured out in 77, They were going to shoot the biggest firework ever and it was a dud!
I was there !! Thanks so much for uploading this !
Charles Collingwood was the narrator. Mr. Collingwood was a former CBS News correspondent. He was in the running to anchor ABC News broadcasts in the early 1960s but he chose to stay with CBS News.
Bravo tonyb, been looking for this event on u tube a long time.
So love the looks on his face...his son was interviewed last night....knew who it was before they put his name up...looks like his dad
I was in my first day of Navy boot camp and we didn't have TV! My company number was 76 and we commenced on the 4th.
I love this. My experience that day was the complete opposite. I was visiting a friend in a very small town in the Berkshires. The official even for the day was 3 guys dressed in Revelutionary War uniforms march down the main street to the town's war memorial.
My first day in Boston. Landed at Logan 10:00 am July 4th, 1976.
This concert extends for more than a few miles down the esplanade so that you can't even see the shell but there are speakers throughout the park. Arthur Fiedler is a legend. Absolute goat of July 4th in Boston. He brought the classical and the party atmosphere. Everyone had a blast. It's not quite the same now. John Williams was tremendous as well but Keith Lockhart is a bit of a bore. I remember the fire works went off with the music. Not anymore.
I was there and it was awesome!
I want this spirit back in our country so badly!
Was '76 I was there
Oh, man, to have been there. To have seen and heard it. Alas, before my time!
Awesome. Thank you.
Oh, this is wonderful!
That is the great Max Hobart in the first chair and my violin teacher as a child, Dorothy Alpert, may she rest in peace, in the 4th chair.
I was fortunate enough to have spent our Country's Bicentennial in colonial Williamsburg. It was amazing!
Thank you Arthur Fiedler , for great memories of great 4ths from the past
Back when people didn't care about whose lives matter, but that we were all Americans and had something to be proud of.
Back when people were proud to be an American
2019 I am 59 and still proud American, but yes I agree, some say my numbers are less slight. However I now speak softly and do carry a big stick.
We still are and always will be.
I missed Woodstock but I was there with my little brother and best friend at the original 1974 performance !!!!