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The Western U.S. Celebrates the Fourth of July. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 05, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Standing right here. It's going to happen right behind us. I cannot wait.
[00:00:05]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Look at the skyline. I mean, the shot we took at the top, it's just beautiful. I can tell you that the families, as predicted, have filled in on the seawall.
We've been watching the traffic come across the bridge on the Coronado Island all night. The boats are in the water. They've calmed the music over at that - that band shell, the amphitheater you see across the bay. Everybody now sitting and waiting for the biggest fire -- fireworks show on the West Coast to begin.
SIDNER: It is going to happen, but you know, we don't have it yet. So I figured -- I said, Victor, should we do a little fun thing, a little wildness? And this is all we got for you. I know.
BLACKWELL: These are the -- the pre-show.
SIDNER: It's not as good -- trust me -- as the show. The show is incredible, and the weather is incredible. You heard a little bang there. I don't think it's --
BLACKWELL: Here we go.
SIDNER: It's starting! It's starting!
BLACKWELL: This is the Big Bay Boom. And also performing now, Goo Goo Dolls.
JOHN RZEZNIK, LEAD SINGER, GOO GOO DOLLS: Come on, people!
(MUSIC: GOO GOO DOLLS, "SLIDE")
RZEZNIK: Come on, sing it with me. There you go!
(MUSIC: GOO GOO DOLLS, "SLIDE")
RZEZNIK: You happy? All right!
[00:05:00]
{MUSIC: GOO GOO DOLLS, "RUN ALL NIGHT") RZEZNIK: Yes!
SIDNER: OK, we're mesmerized. We don't even want to joke around. Like this is gorgeous. And there's so many different varieties.
BLACKWELL: It's so beautiful and well-coordinated. So you just listened to the Goo Goo Dolls, and we've been watching this show the entire time.
SIDNER: Whoa!
[00:10:02]
BLACKWELL: And there are some designs that we're seeing for the first time.
SIDNER: Yes.
BLACKWELL: We saw a smiley face in there, as well. I mean, this is just beautiful.
Now, this show is launched from four barges here on the bay, and they are synchronized. So everybody's kind of getting the same show along the sea wall.
It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
SIDNER: Look at that. We did see one of your waterfalls.
BLACKWELL: We did see a waterfall, right to start.
SIDNER: Look at that one!
BLACKWELL: You know what's great? And I know we're seeing more drones as part of shows. I love that we can feel it.
SIDNER: Yes, right.
BLACKWELL: That you can feel the boom here.
SIDNER: And your heart is, like, reverberating.
BLACKWELL: Right. And this show is called the Big Bay Boom. It's the biggest on the West Coast, but this show is so well-coordinated.
SIDNER: Woo!
BLACKWELL: Wow.
SIDNER: That was a -- that was a big boom.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: Look at that.
BLACKWELL: And you know, we were kind of concerned because of the cloud cover.
SIDNER: It came in.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: And then it went out.
BLACKWELL: But we are still getting a fantastic show. It's -- it's amazing.
It continues here in San Diego. Stay with us. More dazzling fireworks here on the San Diego Bay along with more music from Goo Goo Dolls performing their hit "Iris."
Also ahead, the pop, punk, rock band Yellowcard. And fireworks over the Vegas Strip. There's the Sphere. Stay with us. I
It's the fourth in America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:15:20]
BLACKWELL: It's the Big Bay Boom fireworks show, bursting color over the San Diego Bay right now.
You can hear it. You can see it. We can feel it. Amazing view tonight. It is far from over.
SIDNER: It will rattle your chest if you're out here with us. Let's go back, though, to Summerfest in Milwaukee for more from Goo Goo Dolls. Look at those pictures.
(MUSIC: GOO GOO DOLLS, "IRIS")
[00:20:30]
RZEZNIK: Yes! Milwaukee! Thank you so much! You are amazing!
SIDNER: That was fantastic. And look at the crowd. They just loved -- and we're singing the songs, too. You don't want to hear us singing it, but we're singing it.
BLACKWELL: Great performance from Goo Goo Dolls and this firework show.
SIDNER: Off the chain.
BLACKWELL: Literally cheering and applauding from us and from the people who are now walking along the seawall to head home.
But this has just been fantastic.
SIDNER: Absolutely spectacular. We couldn't ask for better weather. I couldn't ask for better company.
BLACKWELL: Aww, likewise.
SIDNER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: But no, this has been great.
I mean, the fireworks show that's been put on here -- and you see this one, right? There are smaller fireworks on the horizon all around from people here on Coronado Island. And the little cities and communities, as well.
So we've had our own pre-show before the big show here on the Bay.
SIDNER: Truly 360, we're getting a look. The fireworks keep on coming, of course, here on CNN. You're getting them from the comfort of your couch, to your bad, wherever you want to be --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: -- today, including we're going to take you to Las Vegas.
BLACKWELL: Vegas, baby!
SIDNER: Yes, darling. That's where we are heading next.
Plus, hit songs from Yellowcard, featuring an appropriate tune for tonight, "Lights and Sounds."
And country singer Randall [SIC] Roberts when we return. There is this Sphere in Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:25:48]
BLACKWELL: We're out West on this Fourth in America. Fireworks lighting up the sky over Las Vegas soon. We're bringing you the best holiday entertainment in the cities across the country from sea to shining sea.
SIDNER: Did I hear you say West Coast, best coast?
BLACKWELL: I'm saying it while I'm out here, yes.
SIDNER: OK.
BLACKWELL: While I'm here, I'm saying it.
SIDNER: Oh, OK, because Baltimore might be mad.
BLACKWELL: Yes, you can't take that back home.
SIDNER: All right. Play now from his Phase Fest in Kansas City, presented by Social House Enertainment, it's Yellowcard!
(MUSIC: YELLOWCARD, "BELIEVE")
[00:30:54]
RYAN KEY, LEAD SINGER, YELLOWCARD: Whatever you got left, let's go!
(MUSIC: YELLOWCARD, "LIGHTS AND SOUNDS")
[00:35:24]
KEY: Let's get louder!
(MUSIC: YELLOWCARD, "OCEAN AVENUE")
SIDNER: Yellowcard, doing the darn thing. OK?
BLACKWELL: There was a guy dressed as a drum major in that crowd. And if your band can get somebody to come dressed as a drum major, you're doing it right.
SIDNER: You are doing it correctly.
The band just, by the way, celebrated 20 years since their landmark album, "Ocean Avenue." You can catch them on tour with Third Eye Blind, another great band.
BLACKWELL: Yes. We were watching Vegas.
SIDNER: Vegas.
BLACKWELL: Their show. And the Sphere, which is fantastic.
SIDNER: Is that a diamond, because I was like, I need that.
BLACKWELL: It looked a little Epcot-y.
SIDNER: It did.
BLACKWELL: Was it just me?
SIDNER: No.
BLACKWELL: Once we got the flag back now, and we saw the old Vegas signs there. Two point eight billion dollars spent on this. Look at that.
SIDNER: Oh, that's cool.
BLACKWELL: That's just fantastic. And of course, it's a music venue, as well; 366 feet tall, right there on the Vegas Strip.
And we saw the fireworks show from Caesars around it. You know, you incorporate this, you've got something.
SIDNER: It's so wild. You do. I think the Grateful Dead just -- they are still there playing. But this thing is so distracting in a good way.
BLACKWELL: Yes. SIDNER: Like, it's just an amazing view. We were like what -- what am I looking at?
BLACKWELL: It is a huge spectacle there.
SIDNER: Gorgeous.
BLACKWELL: And things.
SIDNER: And we just got done with a huge spectacle here. And coming up, you get to see another spectacle from San Francisco, the fireworks there, along with a performance by singer-songwriter Radio (ph) Roberts. And a first on CNN's "Fourth in America," fireworks in Guam, y'all.
BLACKWELL: I'm looking forward to this. Looking forward to it.
SIDNER: We'll see you in a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:42:46]
SIDNER: We are back with the Fourth in America on CNN as fireworks soaring over the San Francisco Bay. I love y'all, Yay [SIC] Area.
The night is young here on the West Coast, and we have a lot more music and holiday celebrations to share with you.
BLACKWELL: Yes. It's still "The Fourth in America" here on the West Coast.
Singer-songwriter Reyna Roberts performs for us now from Washington, D.C.
(MUSIC: REYNA ROBERTS, "STOMPIN' GROUNDS")
[00:46:19]
(MUSIC: REYNA ROBERTS, "RAISED RIGHT")
SIDNER: Come on, Reyna Roberts, killing it. That was wonderful.
Now, you know, this is a highlight for me. I love listening to her. I like country music.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: But she also played with Beyonce.
[00:50:02]
BLACKWELL: I mean, she's had a big year.
SIDNER: Huge.
BLACKWELL: She was on the "Blackbirds" [SIC] track on --
SIDNER: Huge.
BLACKWELL: -- on "Cowboy Carter."
SIDNER: So good.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And those were her first really breakthrough hits, "Stomping Grounds" and "Raised Right." And she killed it tonight. So fantastic performance from her.
Also, if you saw the fireworks from San Francisco, we saw the set for the fireworks from Guam.
SIDNER: Guam.
BLACKWELL: The U.S. naval base there. First time for our show. And Alaska.
SIDNER: OK. So here's the thing. Alaska, we need to -- we need to give you -- sometimes you just come to the West Coast, be closer so you can see it at night. Because it is daylight, basically, at night.
BLACKWELL: They're low on dark hours --
SIDNER: They only get, like, ten minutes.
BLACKWELL: -- this time of year.
SIDNER: This year -- time of year. So Alaska, you could see them, kind of.
OK, see? I mean, you've got people out there with the fire. Alaska is beautiful, no matter what time of year. But I mean --
BLACKWELL: Light a fire, bring a blanket. Look at it at dusk, at best.
SIDNER: Exactly.
All right. As the party keeps going in San Francisco and around -- Alaska, still going a little bit.
BLACKWELL: We've got a lot of shows going on.
SIDNER: A lot of things going on. Our live Fourth of July coverage continues with another song from Ben Platt and a look at the best fireworks of the night. It's going to be a doozy. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIDNER: We are back with the light show over Phoenix, Arizona, one of the capers (ph) to this eye-popping night of fireworks on this Fourth of July. Actually, that's San Diego.
[00:55:05] Look, I mean, it's still sparkly up -- there you go. There are some of the gorgeous fireworks we've been seeing all night long.
BLACKWELL: And we've got more music for you, too. Another song from Grammy and Tony Award-winning vocalist and actor Ben Platt.
(MUSIC: BEN PLATT, "YOUR SMILING FACE")
SIDNER: That was fantastic. We are -- we are savoring the glorious sounds and the views from here in San Diego, which are brought you by our photographer behind us, Tom Larson.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: David Legg (ph) has been showing you these incredible pictures of all of the fireworks just behind us.
BLACKWELL: Huge fireworks here.
SIDNER: Gorgeous. We've had such a wonderful crew. Meredith (ph) and Eileen (ph). I mean, they have been killing it.
We're just having fun.
BLACKWELL: We're having fun.
SIDNER: They're doing the work.
BLACKWELL: And there's a lot to see. Actually, let's look at some of the best and the brightest fireworks tonight.
(MUSIC: COLDPLAY, "A SKY FULL OF STARS")
