By Charlotte Fontaine
NASHVILLE, TN — The sun made its presence known when hundreds gathered at this year’s hot 4th of July “Let Freedom Sing! Music City” event which took over Downtown Nashville. An event that ran from 12 PM to 10 PM, tourists and locals waited to be let in to the streets flooded with entertainment that celebrated freedom, family, friends, and independence. Featuring multiple sets from DJ Coach, live performances from Les Kerr & The Bayou Band, Ben Rector, Tiera Kennedy, and more, culminating with superstar headliner Brad Paisley, many came to mark the holiday through music that Tuesday.
When approaching the Walk of Fame Park one could already hear children clapping, taste the samples of Dr Pepper that were prominently placed throughout, and watch as families enjoyed playing games in the grass. Pieces of chalk and markers were laid on the ground to take to a paper mural of Nashville representing its residents. There were no reckless firecrackers, lots of soft drinks, and a wholesome environment had been carefully crafted, with the usual rowdy habitat of Broadway and downtown feeling distant, surprisingly.
It was mostly tourists gathered at the front of the Jack Daniels Broadway Stage (which had been set up solely for that day), with many locals opting to celebrate at home or on the lake. There was an organized movement of people of all ages dressed in stripes, red, white, and blue. By the time Brad Paisley took center stage, it was difficult to not move with the pack as spirits were high, sweat was falling, and smiles were everywhere to be seen.
“It’s just another American Saturday night, oh, that’s exactly what we have right here” one of Paisley’s songs says, and other than the day of the week being wrong, the lyrics were very fitting for the event that felt incredibly all-American. His energy was electric, captivating, and it felt like watching a prologue to the incredible fireworks that took over the Nashville skyline in a beautiful finale to the holiday.
