COURTESY OF AMERICA250
America 250: Live from Los Angeles
SETTING THE STAGE The concert on 4 July featured a range of American artists
Straying from the original 13 colonies on the East Coast, Los Angeles had its own Semiquincentennial celebration at the Memorial Coliseum stadium
Words by Katie Kasperson
W hile the original 13 British colonies were fighting the American Revolution, the West was doing its own thing. Westward expansion didn’t happen until the 1800s, and states like California belonged, at that point, to Spain. The ‘new Spanish’ founded Los Angeles in 1781, and the area saw its first surge of interest during the Gold Rush. Cut to: almost 250 years later, and LA is one of the largest and most influential metropolitan areas in the US, home in sunny, hedonistic SoCal. Los Angeles served as the centre of America’s Block Party, part of the official US Semiquincentennial Commission’s synchronised, coast-to-coast July 4th celebration. Collaborating with iHeartRadio – which served as the official audio thanks to the entertainment industries finding a natural
by lighting the Coliseum’s Olympic Torch, commemorating the 1932 and 1984 LA Games – and marking the countdown to Summer 2028. No America 250 celebration was complete without a spectacle to top it off; LA opted for an evening drone show and fireworks display, larger than that of Colonial Williamsburg. The West Coast finale combined 800 drones with 9000 fireworks, taking audiences on a visual journey through two and a half centuries of American history – from the ringing (and cracking) of the Liberty Bell to the moon landing. The show left viewers with a final image of ‘Giving 4th’, encouraging them to donate to a charity of their choosing. CBS broadcast the event nationwide, while NBC4 Los Angeles handled local coverage. Audiences could also stream America’s Block Party on Peacock, Paramount+ and America250.org.
partner – the Block Party hit several cities across the country, linking stadium events, regional festivals and neighbourhood gatherings. Over the holiday weekend, iHeartMedia streamed its official Block Party audio feed for free via its dedicated app. The soundtrack blended multi-generational hits and live broadcast cut-ins from major events in cities such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia. At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, part of the University of Southern California’s campus, Queen Latifah hosted America’s Block Party benefit concert on 4 July. Featuring headliners Anthony Ramos, Chaka Khan, The Smashing Pumpkins, Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton, the performance represented a breadth of American musical talent. Bridging American and Olympic history, US athletes Nastia Liukin and Nick Itkin closed things out
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