The Boston Pops 4th of July celebration, which regularly draws half a million people, had to scramble to find a replacement singer when Lionel Richie dropped out last Thursday. Country Singer Martina McBride will perform in his place during the concert and fireworks spectacular.
Richie strained a vocal cord and was told by his doctors that he shouldn't perform.
"It was such an honor being asked to celebrate the Fourth of July with this legendary orchestra, and I hope to perform with them in the future," Richie said in a statement released by the Boston Pops.
McBride agreed to fill in at the last minute after a few hours notice.
Richie's departure left the Pops scrambling not just to find somebody who could perform, but also coming up with the music for the orchestra to play during the performance, called "charts."
"Basically, I got a phone call about this at, oh, midnight on Thursday," said Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, as reported by The Boston Globe. "So the first question was, who are we going to get to do the charts, and can they turn them around in 48 hours? Fortunately, we have people who can do that."
Richie strained a vocal cord and was told by his doctors that he shouldn't perform.
"It was such an honor being asked to celebrate the Fourth of July with this legendary orchestra, and I hope to perform with them in the future," Richie said in a statement released by the Boston Pops.
McBride agreed to fill in at the last minute after a few hours notice.
Richie's departure left the Pops scrambling not just to find somebody who could perform, but also coming up with the music for the orchestra to play during the performance, called "charts."
"Basically, I got a phone call about this at, oh, midnight on Thursday," said Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, as reported by The Boston Globe. "So the first question was, who are we going to get to do the charts, and can they turn them around in 48 hours? Fortunately, we have people who can do that."
McBride will perform three songs, two of her own, and "America The Beautiful." McBride's first and only chance to rehearse the songs with the full orchestra came on July 3, during the public rehearsal that the Pops holds, which draws 75,000 people. "I was just glad I did not have plans on the Fourth of July this year," said McBride. "I guess everything happens for a reason." The concert also has a rendition of the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikowsky featuring actual church bells and cannons during the climax of the piece. This year, the cannons will be "played" by the 101st Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army, which returned this year from its deployment in Kabul, Afghanistan.McBride will perform three songs, two of her own, and "America The Beautiful." McBride's first and only chance to rehearse the songs with the full orchestra came on July 3, during the public rehearsal that the Pops holds, which draws 75,000 people. "I was just glad I did not have plans on the Fourth of July this year," said McBride. "I guess everything happens for a reason."
The concert also has a rendition of the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikowsky featuring actual church bells and cannons during the climax of the piece. This year, the cannons will be "played" by the 101st Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army, which returned this year from its deployment in Kabul, Afghanistan
The concert also has a rendition of the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikowsky featuring actual church bells and cannons during the climax of the piece. This year, the cannons will be "played" by the 101st Field Artillery Regiment of the US Army, which returned this year from its deployment in Kabul, Afghanistan
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