THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

Episode #1058: Big Light
First Broadcast: 7/13/26
If you were fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, as the case may be) to watch what were arguably the two most significant fireworks displays on the 4th of July this year--namely, the fireworks in New York City presented by Macy's, and the fireworks in Washington, D.C., presented by the Freedom 250 organization--you might have noticed that one of those displays was considerably more stylish, more coordinated, and more synchronized with its music than the other, and that display was the one from Macy's, which made its fireworks the star of its show, and not just an attraction off to the side of the stage, where you might have noticed possibly the most significant difference between these two shows: the musical selection (can you believe that was all one sentence?). If you didn't watch both shows, you might be wondering what the difference was, since no one seems to have listed which songs were played at either event-- that is, no one until now! Witness:

New York City/Macy's Set list (27:00)

Bells of Freedom (David R. Gillingham, 2001)
The Star-Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key, 1814)
Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas, 1976)
American Girl (Tom Petty, 1976)
Freedom's Call (John Williams, 2012)
My Country, 'Tis Of Thee (Samuel Francis Smith, 1831)
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston, 1987)
Groove Is In The Heart (Deee-Lite, 1990)
Midnight Sun (Zara Larsson, 2025)
Lift Every Voice and Sing (James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson, 1900)
America the Beautiful (Katherine Lee Bates & Samuel A. Ward, 1910)
Cotton-Eyed Joe (composer unknown, before 1861)
This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie, 1945)
Independence Day (Martina McBride, 1994)
Halo (Beyoncé, 2008)
God Bless America (Irving Berlin, 1918)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana, 1991)
R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (John Cougar Mellencamp, 1985)
The Stars and Stripes Forever (John Philip Sousa, 1896)
Born In The U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen, 1984)
Living In America (James Brown, 1985)
The Stars and Stripes Forever (reprise) (John Philip Sousa, 1896)

D.C./Freedom 250 Set List (39:34)

The Star-Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key, 1814)
25 or 6 to 4 (Chicago, 1970)
Don't Stop Believin' (Journey, 1981)
Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi, 1986)
Y.M.C.A. (Village People, 1978)
Let's Go Crazy (Prince, 1984)
September (Earth Wind and Fire, 1978)
Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) (Toby Keith, 2002)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (Stevie Wonder, 1970)
Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond, 1969)
Party in the U.S.A. (Miley Cyrus, 2009)

Right away, you can see that the New York show had more variety in a shorter amount of time than the D.C. show; and the D.C. show--if you don't count "The Star-Spangled Banner," since the fireworks didn't start until after it finished--focused almost exclusively on songs from a narrow 17-year stretch that could have been played at any other party during the year, since they were so generic in comparison. Does all this encapsulate the differences between the left wing and right wing in this country at the moment? "Blue" America vs. "Red" America? Excellence vs. adequacy? Attention to detail vs. carelessness? Art vs. the approximation of art? And, as long as we're on the subject... do you think we can get a do-over for the Tricentennial?

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So, what is Free New York anyway? The simple answer is that it's a this neat little public access TV show on Manhattan Neighborhood Network which I co-produce with the tremendous help of my camerawoman/editor/everything else, Kim. The complicated answer is that it's a project of mine to broadcast opinions and events which don't always appear within "the mainstream media" (like The New York Times, the major networks, local radio, etc.), and so far I think it's been working.

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last updated July 13, 2026
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