LeAnn Rimes to Headline the 2025 Boston Pops July 4 Fireworks Spectacular

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will return to the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade for its 51st year on Friday, July 4, 7–10 p.m. Keith Lockhart, celebrating his 30th anniversary as conductor of the Boston Pops, leads the orchestra alongside a talented lineup of guest performers headlined by multiplatinum selling singer-songwriter LeAnn Rimes along with Leslie Odom, Jr., Bell Biv DeVoe, the U.S. Army Field Band Soldiers’ Chorus, and Boston Children’s Chorus. The free concert is part of the Commonwealth’s Massachusetts 250 (MA250) initiative honoring America’s revolutionary history and includes a collection of patriotic favorites, performed by the Pops, closing with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The musical performance will be followed by a fireworks display over the Charles River, beginning at approximately 9:40 p.m. 

The performance will be broadcast to a national audience on The CW Network, as well as locally on WHDH-TV Channel 7 (click here for additional tune-in details). The local broadcast coverage runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET with The CW’s national presentation airing from 9 to 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Guest Artists Performing with the Boston Pops

LeAnn Rimes is an international multiplatinum selling acclaimed singer and ASCAP award-winning songwriter who has sold more than 48 million units globally, won 2 Grammy® Awards; 12 Billboard Music Awards; 2 World Music Awards; 3 Academy of Country Music Awards; 2 Country Music Association Awards and a Dove Award. At 14, Rimes won “Best New Artist” making her the youngest recipient to take home a Grammy® Award. A passionate advocate for social change, LeAnn has been honored with the Ally of Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign for over 20 years of equal rights support, the 2019 HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy, and the 2009 ACM Humanitarian Award, among other recognitions. Rimes performed with Lockhart and the Boston Pops at the<> 2003 Fireworks Spectacular and at Tanglewood’s July 4 celebration in 2006. 

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a Tony and Grammy® Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated songwriter, actor, and a New York Times bestselling author. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom is set to make a highly anticipated return to his award-winning role on September 9 through November 23. Last season, he made his long-awaited return to Broadway as a producer, alongside his beloved Nicolette Robinson and the gracious Jeffrey Richards, with the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch written by the legendary Ossie Davis. He most recently appeared with Lockhart and the Pops in Presenting Leslie Odom, Jr., a part of the 2019 Spring Pops season at Symphony Hall. 

Bell Biv DeVoe, known for their pioneering sound that blends "hip-hop smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop-feel-appeal to it," emerged as a breakout act from the iconic New Edition following the group's tour in support of their 1988 album, Heart Break. The trio—Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, all original members of New Edition—formed on the advice of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to explore a more street-oriented approach to contemporary R&B. They received a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and have maintained a strong presence, headlining arenas, fairs, festivals, and joining New Edition reunion tours. In 2023, they won an Emmy Award for their documentary BBD @ Fenway, which spotlights their performance of the national anthem with the Boston Pops at Fenway Park for the NHL's Winter Classic.