PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia is preparing for some 300,000 people to brave the heat and come out to the Ben Franklin Parkway on the Fourth of July for the largest free concert in the country.
Producer Scott Mirkin has built a massive stage at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps for the “One Philly: Unity Concert for America” event, creating a mile-long venue, all the way back to Logan Circle.
“We're very excited,” he said on Wednesday. “You can see the activity. We’ve been out here about a week with 600 people working.”
The concert is free, but the audience has to enter through gates at 20th Street. Mirkin said it will be a long day for everyone, with the concert expected to last nearly eight hours.
“At 3 in the afternoon, the gates open and I’m making a prediction that by 4, you’re going to hear some music, maybe even at 3 when we walk in. We’re turning these bands over quickly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the Fourth of July will see the largest law enforcement deployment since Pope Francis visited the city in 2015.
“You will see us out there in force. We are prepared for any occurrence,” he said. “There will be things you see. There are going to be a number of assets you will not see but we’re going to be able to pull those assets if we need them.”
Christina Aguilera will headline and comedian Wanda Sykes will host the concert. The lineup includes the Roots, Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith, State Property (featuring rappers Freeway and Beanie Sigel) and Seal.
Mayor Cherelle Parker has often said she wants the concert to be the semiquincentennial’s legacy, since there wasn’t enough money set aside for the kind of brick-and-mortar projects past milestone celebrations left behind.
Still, she is spending $120 million on the 250th celebrations, though she would not say how much the concert costs.
