July 4, 2025 • 6 mins
Get ready for one of LA’s most iconic Independence Day events! In this episode of Entertain Me, host Heather Brooker sits down with Daniel Song, Chief Operating Officer of the Hollywood Bowl, to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular featuring Earth, Wind and Fire!
From musical highlights and safety planning to pro tips for first-time visitors, he shares what makes this annual celebration a must-see experience in Southern California. Plus: What’s new this year, how the Bowl addresses wildfire concerns, and why this show continues to be a patriotic favorite.
Have you been to the Bowl on the 4th? Planning to go this year?
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to keep the summer magic going!
Follow Heather Brooker on Facebook and Instagram @theatherbrooker and on X @heatherbrooker.
From musical highlights and safety planning to pro tips for first-time visitors, he shares what makes this annual celebration a must-see experience in Southern California. Plus: What’s new this year, how the Bowl addresses wildfire concerns, and why this show continues to be a patriotic favorite.
Have you been to the Bowl on the 4th? Planning to go this year?
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review to keep the summer magic going!
Follow Heather Brooker on Facebook and Instagram @theatherbrooker and on X @heatherbrooker.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
It's one of Los Angeles' most beloved traditions, an epic
Fourth of July celebration under the stars at the iconic
Hollywood Bowl. This year's concert promises show stopping performances, dazzling fireworks,
and all the patriotic flair you can ask for. Joining
us to give us a behind the scenes preview and
some tips for your visit is Daniel Song, chief operating
(00:23):
officer of the La phil Good morning, Good morning, all right,
So let's start with this show itself. What can fans
expect from this year's Fourth of July celebration at the Bowl?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, you know, every year the Fourth of July celebration
of the Bowl is unique and special. It's a tradition
for many Angelinos on the Californian such myself, my family,
and you will, as you say, you will get your
patriotic flare in the first half. In the second half,
we welcome the amazing legendary Earth Wind and Fire. They
(00:59):
performed the last two nights and I can tell you
it is just a spectacular show.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So the fireworks at the Bowl are legendary, as you know.
Can you walk us through how that part of the
show is planned and what people can expect when they visit.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, you know, I think fireworks at the Bowl is
a very special time. So whether it's at Fourth of
July or Tchaikovski Spectacular, it is part of the tradition
of the Bowl. Each show is you know, really well
crafted by our Pyro Spectacular people, and they really do
(01:42):
an amazing job to not just create beautiful fireworks, but
they do it in a really safe way.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I want to address really quickly. You know, wildfire season
we are in full swing here in California. What does
the Bowl do to work with local agencies and in
preparation to ensure that the whole fireworks display is safe
for the surrounding area.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah. So again, our our fireworks partner, Pirate Spectacular. They
you know, they're third or fourth generation company and they
have an extremely proven record of safe fireworks, and at
the Bowl we take it even further just because of
the surrounding areas. You know, we want to make sure
(02:26):
that while fireworks are exciting and special and amazing, that
it is first and foremost a safe environment. And so
we are working with local fire departments, Fire marshal comes
out make sure that everything is done safely. To code
and yeah, I mean safety is first, and we make
(02:50):
sure that whenever we do these fireworks that it is
it goes off and so that people can enjoy it
and not have to worry about the other things.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Okay, so you are an expert on visiting the Bowl.
I know you've probably been a ton of times to
see lots of shows there and lots and events. Give
us your best tips for parking, for food, for just
attending in general, Like, what can you tell us to
help us have just like the best experience.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
The biggest advice for the best advice I always give
to anybody about the Hollywood Bowl is that the Bowl
is not just about the concert. The concert is when
the music begins, but the Bowl experience begins before that,
which is you come to the Bowl and you picnic,
you enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Hollywood Bowl. You
(03:41):
can take ride share here, which we've now have this
wonderful dedicated right Share pickup and drop off area which
makes it much more efficient and quick. And you can
take buses here. We have the nation's largest private venue
bus system in the country. You can take parking ride
(04:03):
from all across Los Angeles County you can take shuttles
from much closer areas, and there's just many ways you
can get to the Hollywood Bowl, but arrive early, enjoy
the Bowl for everything that it is, and then enjoy
the concert.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
You know, there's a lot of events happening here in
southern California. Of course, the Hollywood Bowl is one of
the bigger events that are happening, and several of the
Fourth of July display events and presentations have turned to
drones rather than fireworks. Is that something that's ever come
up in discussion at the Hollywood Bowl.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
We've always talked about it. One of the challenging things
about the Bowl is that it's built into a hilly,
mountainous area, and for drones you need quite of a
large landing pad essentially, or where they take off from.
We just don't have the landscape or the flat round
(05:00):
able to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So what are you hoping that people walk away with
from this year's show?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
You know? The things that I do feel every year,
again it's a family tradition for me to go and
spend Fourth of July at the Hollywood Bowl is when
the fireworks are done, the concert's over, and everyone's walking
out together there's a sense of community, a sense of
you know, why we're here and we're celebrating, you know,
(05:28):
the birth of the country. And in that moment, you
just have that sense of pride and that communal experience
of being together and everyone talking about what they just saw,
what they just experience, still singing September in their heads
as they're walking out. It's just a really wonderful time
(05:49):
of a community walking out of the bowl together.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well, my family and I have had many wonderful memories
at the Hollywood Bowl, and I think this year is
going to be no exception. Daniel's song, CEO of the
La Phil thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
For more information on so cal Fourth of July celebrations,
just visit our website k if I am six forty
dot com. We've got a whole list there for you
to peruse and choose where to go with your family
on this Fourth of July. I'm mother Broker. Thanks so
much for listening to entertain me. Don't forget to subscribe
to the show and share it with friends. I would
(06:27):
appreciate it so much. Don't forget you can listen anywhere
anytime on the iHeartRadio app,
It's one of Los Angeles' most beloved traditions, an epic
Fourth of July celebration under the stars at the iconic
Hollywood Bowl. This year's concert promises show stopping performances, dazzling fireworks,
and all the patriotic flair you can ask for. Joining
us to give us a behind the scenes preview and
some tips for your visit is Daniel Song, chief operating
(00:23):
officer of the La phil Good morning, Good morning, all right,
So let's start with this show itself. What can fans
expect from this year's Fourth of July celebration at the Bowl?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, you know, every year the Fourth of July celebration
of the Bowl is unique and special. It's a tradition
for many Angelinos on the Californian such myself, my family,
and you will, as you say, you will get your
patriotic flare in the first half. In the second half,
we welcome the amazing legendary Earth Wind and Fire. They
(00:59):
performed the last two nights and I can tell you
it is just a spectacular show.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
So the fireworks at the Bowl are legendary, as you know.
Can you walk us through how that part of the
show is planned and what people can expect when they visit.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, you know, I think fireworks at the Bowl is
a very special time. So whether it's at Fourth of
July or Tchaikovski Spectacular, it is part of the tradition
of the Bowl. Each show is you know, really well
crafted by our Pyro Spectacular people, and they really do
(01:42):
an amazing job to not just create beautiful fireworks, but
they do it in a really safe way.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I want to address really quickly. You know, wildfire season
we are in full swing here in California. What does
the Bowl do to work with local agencies and in
preparation to ensure that the whole fireworks display is safe
for the surrounding area.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah. So again, our our fireworks partner, Pirate Spectacular. They
you know, they're third or fourth generation company and they
have an extremely proven record of safe fireworks, and at
the Bowl we take it even further just because of
the surrounding areas. You know, we want to make sure
(02:26):
that while fireworks are exciting and special and amazing, that
it is first and foremost a safe environment. And so
we are working with local fire departments, Fire marshal comes
out make sure that everything is done safely. To code
and yeah, I mean safety is first, and we make
(02:50):
sure that whenever we do these fireworks that it is
it goes off and so that people can enjoy it
and not have to worry about the other things.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Okay, so you are an expert on visiting the Bowl.
I know you've probably been a ton of times to
see lots of shows there and lots and events. Give
us your best tips for parking, for food, for just
attending in general, Like, what can you tell us to
help us have just like the best experience.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
The biggest advice for the best advice I always give
to anybody about the Hollywood Bowl is that the Bowl
is not just about the concert. The concert is when
the music begins, but the Bowl experience begins before that,
which is you come to the Bowl and you picnic,
you enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Hollywood Bowl. You
(03:41):
can take ride share here, which we've now have this
wonderful dedicated right Share pickup and drop off area which
makes it much more efficient and quick. And you can
take buses here. We have the nation's largest private venue
bus system in the country. You can take parking ride
(04:03):
from all across Los Angeles County you can take shuttles
from much closer areas, and there's just many ways you
can get to the Hollywood Bowl, but arrive early, enjoy
the Bowl for everything that it is, and then enjoy
the concert.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
You know, there's a lot of events happening here in
southern California. Of course, the Hollywood Bowl is one of
the bigger events that are happening, and several of the
Fourth of July display events and presentations have turned to
drones rather than fireworks. Is that something that's ever come
up in discussion at the Hollywood Bowl.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
We've always talked about it. One of the challenging things
about the Bowl is that it's built into a hilly,
mountainous area, and for drones you need quite of a
large landing pad essentially, or where they take off from.
We just don't have the landscape or the flat round
(05:00):
able to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So what are you hoping that people walk away with
from this year's show?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
You know? The things that I do feel every year,
again it's a family tradition for me to go and
spend Fourth of July at the Hollywood Bowl is when
the fireworks are done, the concert's over, and everyone's walking
out together there's a sense of community, a sense of
you know, why we're here and we're celebrating, you know,
(05:28):
the birth of the country. And in that moment, you
just have that sense of pride and that communal experience
of being together and everyone talking about what they just saw,
what they just experience, still singing September in their heads
as they're walking out. It's just a really wonderful time
(05:49):
of a community walking out of the bowl together.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well, my family and I have had many wonderful memories
at the Hollywood Bowl, and I think this year is
going to be no exception. Daniel's song, CEO of the
La Phil thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
For more information on so cal Fourth of July celebrations,
just visit our website k if I am six forty
dot com. We've got a whole list there for you
to peruse and choose where to go with your family
on this Fourth of July. I'm mother Broker. Thanks so
much for listening to entertain me. Don't forget to subscribe
to the show and share it with friends. I would
(06:27):
appreciate it so much. Don't forget you can listen anywhere
anytime on the iHeartRadio app,
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