Brad Paisley Headlining Nashville's 4th of July Concert

Brad Paisley has been announced as the headlining act for Nashville's 2021 4th of July celebration, which will be a full-audience event. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced this week that Paisley will be the main event at the annual show, Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th presented by Dr. Pepper, which will take place on Lower Broadway at the intersection of First Ave and Broadway.

The show is a free, family-friendly event that will feature "the biggest fireworks show in Nashville history," according to organizers. The fireworks display will be set off from across the Cumberland River, near Nissan Stadium, and the Nashville Symphony will perform at Ascend Amphitheater in synchronization with the fireworks. The symphony will also perform at the end of the concert, which will feature several other to-be-announced acts.

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Paisley was scheduled to headline last year's show, which was transitioned to a no-audience TV special due to the pandemic. The annual show typically draws a crowd of more than 200,000, with a massive 343,000 attendees in 2019.

"After the year that Nashville has had, from a tornado to a bombing, Nashvillians deserve something to look forward to coming out of the pandemic," Butch Spyridon, President and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, said in a statement. "More than ever, we want to deliver a world-class concert and fireworks show to commemorate July 4th and give back to our community. As well, our visitors have always supported us through challenges, and this is the perfect way to welcome them back and welcome live music back to Music City."

Paisley recently participated in a PSA in partnership with Vanderbilt Health urging fans to receive their coronavirus vaccines so that event venues can return to full capacity. The West Virginia native got music to fans any way he could during the pandemic, performing at-home shows, jumping onto fans' Zoom calls and playing a drive-in show in Nashville last summer. He and wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley also opened The Store, a free grocery store in Nashville catering to those in need.

"It means everything to me," Paisley told CNN of headlining the Fourth of July show. "It means everything to my family, my band." He joked, "It means a lot to my wife - the thought of me actually going back on the road and leaving the house once coming up is something she's really looking forward to." The "No I in Beer" singer continued, "The idea of playing at Lower Broadway in Nashville and sort of saying 'Look what we accomplished,' that we have gotten through this thing, is going be, I hope, one of the most amazing moments of my career."