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CNN Live Event/Special
Fourth In America. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired July 05, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: The fireworks show has just started here in San Diego. It is remarkable. So let's get straight to it. And as we watch, Counting Crows will play some of their biggest hits.
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BLACKWELL: We have just watched a fantastic, fantastic show here over the San Diego Bay. We actually had to turn around and get our mics. We were watching the finale there.
You know, fireworks on the Fourth of July, the tradition nearly as old as the country itself. And this is why everybody stopped to watch that show. It was fantastic here
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: I have to say. And look, everyone's honking horns that are here on the Bay, this Big Bay Boom, so beautiful. So many people here watching this happen. And you could feel it in your chest.
BLACKWELL: Yes, you could. You could.
SIDNER: Your bones rattle in a little bit there. So gorgeous here in San Diego. It's just not possible to not sing along with some of the jams that we've been hearing. Be sure to check out the Counting Crows' new album, "Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!" You know, I love this.
BLACKWELL: That sounds really good actually.
SIDNER: Which is out right now. BLACKWELL: And next, we go to Sin City for a display that is possible only in Las Vegas. Plus, his name is all over some of music's biggest songs. Timbaland gives us all a reason to get out of our seats. And we're already out of our seats. We've been dancing, I don't know, half the night already.
CNN's The Fourth in America is going strong. Stick around, we've got much more.
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SIDNER: All right. The Las Vegas Strip shining tonight with more than just neon. Although -- look at -- oh, the -- I almost said the Globe.
BLACKWELL: Sphere.
SIDNER: It's the Sphere.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: Globe -- Sphere. No, the name is a Sphere. Beautiful. Look at those fireworks. Look how crisp, clean and amazing it looks. Welcome back to CNN's The Fourth in America. This is beautiful.
BLACKWELL: It is beautiful.
SIDNER: Beautiful.
BLACKWELL: It is beautiful. We're seeing shows in the sky and on stages across the country. Let's get straight to someone who has his imprint over lots of music. Fifty million singles, 40 million albums as a rapper, singer, songwriter, producer. From the Tacos and Tequila Festival in Kansas City, Timbaland. As we listen, we'll watch fireworks more from out west including Vegas and Idaho Falls.
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SIDNER: That's my jam. I'm just letting you know.
BLACKWELL: Call me --
SIDNER: There, you hit it.
BLACKWELL: I hit it.
SIDNER: Yes.
BLACKWELL: I hit the note, finally, while I was on that television.
SIDNER: Beautiful, perfect. BLACKWELL: A four-time Grammy winner, so many hits with Missy and Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, on and on, and on at the Tacos and Tequila Festival. It doesn't get better than that.
SIDNER: That sounds good. We're going to have to do that afterwards.
BLACKWELL: Tacos and tequila? Yes, we can do that.
SIDNER: It's a power-packed few minutes right there that you were listening to. Make sure to check out Timbaland's newly launched AI- focused entertainment company called Stage Zero, with its first artist being TaTa, an AI-generated persona. You know what, we could have just AI-generated ourselves.
BLACKWELL: No, don't put that idea in anybody's head. I got a mortgage and a plan, all right. One more time performing their mega hit, "You Found Me," The Fray.
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BLACKWELL: That was The Fray fueling what's been a non-stop night of great performances. I had an opportunity to talk with the members of the band a couple of days ago. Joe King, lead singer there. He was talking about how Summerfest where they are in Milwaukee. This is their 9th year there.
And so coming back year after year, and seeing the lake and the people, and enjoying it, we can really see how much he enjoys it with his performance. He gets down with the audience there and some of these songs. Well, good time for everybody there along the lake.
SIDNER: People were emoting. And we've been here. I think this is our third year.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: And I've been eating popcorn when I really wasn't supposed to.
BLACKWELL: I was gonna leave my popcorn out of the shot, but since we're telling secrets, we are having snacks here, so.
SIDNER: Ooh, look at Idaho Falls.
BLACKWELL: Idaho Falls has a great show. And you know what I love about coming here, aside from the show is great here in San Diego. It's what they do with the proceeds --
SIDNER: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- from the show. Because it's free for everybody who's here, but with the sponsors and the donations they've donated since 2001 hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Wounded Warrior Programs at the San Diego Armed Forces YMCA.
SIDNER: YMCA, yes.
BLACKWELL: Also to the Balboa Naval Hospital here as well. So the money really goes to some great causes here. And of course, this is a military town. We both were out on Coronado Island here today where we are base. Also what's great here is that, they --
SIDNER: They had like an old school parade. It's like a small town parade.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: It's beautiful.
BLACKWELL: They really get into it. There's bunting. I don't even know where you bunting these days, but they have it here --
SIDNER: They figured out.
BLACKWELL: -- decorated for the Fourth. It's fantastic. So you got to look out also for The Fray. They've got a new album coming out this year in a couple of months. So they got some good new music coming.
SIDNER: And you can hear the craziness in Idaho Falls. That's the finale, obviously. It is going wild.
But now we go back to the BottleRock stage in Napa, California where our next artist is making their CNN debut. He's a Grammy-nominated DJ who's performed at the Super Bowl and Coachella. It's Kaskade, everybody.
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SIDNER: Napa Valley, not just wine, but they've got DJ galore.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: Look at Kaskade go. His new album will be out soon and you can catch him live at the Sun Soaked Festival in September.
BLACKWELL: That oots-oots (ph) is going to be with us for a little while longer. Still to come, more fireworks displays from across the nation, including Alaska. Yes, we're going to take you there. You won't want to miss a minute.
SIDNER: Plus, it's been fast, it's been thorough, it's been sharp as a tack The Fourth in America continues next with the band Cake.
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[00:42:12] BLACKWELL: Rock and roll and fantastic views over the San Francisco skyline. We're live for CNN's The Fourth in America. Listen, we still have plenty of fireworks, plenty of music to keep the nationwide.
SIDNER: And we are a firework. I mean, look at this. Come on. Now we go --
BLACKWELL: Listen, you can't be too on the nose on the Fourth of July. Just buy in.
SIDNER: Do everything.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
SIDNER: Now we go back to Summerfest one more time. We're going the distance for the Fourth and we're doing it with American rock band Cake.
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SIDNER: OK, I'm gonna do it.
BLACKWELL: No, no, no, no. There, we got it. Yes, we got it. Yes.
SIDNER: Cake is like --
BLACKWELL: Classic.
SIDNER: -- please stay in your lane.
BLACKWELL: Welcome Kauai (ph) to the show and Seward. We got to get some small town, just about the big cities.
SIDNER: It's true but it's crazy 'cause in Alaska it's still light out. They have so many hours of lightness that you can barely see them. But you can see them. There is sparkle in the sky.
BLACKWELL: There it is. No, no, no. Yes. We're going to be chanting that all night.
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Seward has fewer than 3,000 people. They've got maybe as many puffins as people there. But they are celebrating with the rest of us, 249th birthday for our country. Cake has a new album out this fall.
SIDNER: That was fun.
BLACKWELL: But no, no, no. We're going to be saying that all night.
SIDNER: It's in your head. BLACKWELL: Next, the final few minutes of The Fourth in America. It's been a roller coaster tour of the country, the biggest moments, the brightest stars and the best of the fireworks. Stay with us right here on CNN.
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SIDNER: Welcome back to CNN's The Fourth in America. You are looking at San Francisco there. They have, I think, just ended their beautiful display. And it wasn't foggy for once --
BLACKWELL: It's great.
SIDNER: -- like fantastic. But you know what, we still got the sparkles for you, don't worry.
BLACKWELL: Yes, don't you worry. It's jam-packed evening. Full of fun, full of laughs, full of swag. Full of swag, I said. Thank you for spending every second with us. Obviously we always have a good time together.
SIDNER: We do.
BLACKWELL: We're glad were spending with you. Here's a look at the standout scenes from a wonderful night.
SIDNER: Wait, but wasn't this a standout scene? I'm just asking.
BLACKWELL: Thanks for hanging out with us.
SIDNER: Thanks for being with us. Happy Fourth.
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