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Concert, fireworks go off almost without a hitch
By adamg on Thu, 07/04/2013 - 11:33pm
Fireworks over the Charles. Photo by Greg Hum.
One highlight was when Keith Lockhart turned the baton over to Transit Police Officer Richard Donohue.
Several people said attendance seemed to be down on the Esplanade, although it was hard to say if it was because of the increased security or the increased heat. Jeff Tamagini didn't think much of the shutdown of the Mass. Ave. bridge:
Well the fireworks from Mass. Ave. bridge were subpar and pointless. Let's hope it was a one time thing - I want my bridge back!
The hitch? The simulcast of the music. See Kaz's comments, below.
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Comments
Without a hitch?
The simulcast on the radio played Pops/orchestra music through the fireworks instead of the normal pop music montage. It wasn't timed at all with the firework segments. It felt as if the fireworks were set to some set of music that wasn't being shared on the radio (specifically WGBH which I tune to when down at the river for everyone to enjoy around me).
So, did anyone else hear the music the fireworks were set to? What was it because they didn't seem to share it with the radio audience this year.
Fireworks music
According to the official program being handed out on the Esplanade yesterday afternoon, this is the recorded music that was supposed to accompany the fireworks:
Call to Adventure - from "The Mummy 3"
Raining Sunshine - Miranda Cosgrove
It's America - Rodney Atkins
The Circus Sets Up - James Newton Howard from "Water for Elephants"
Hallelujah - KD Lang
O, America - Celtic Woman
This is My Country - US Army Band
Faith to Fall Back On - Hunter Hayes
One Last Message - Andrew Lockington from "City of Ember"
Test Drive / Coming Back Around - John Powell from "How to Train Your Dragon"
I heard at least 1 of these on the live stream
I heard a female singing Hallelujah -and now that I see this list it *was* kd lang :)
Yeah...
That wasn't what was playing on WGBH unfortunately.
Oh well.
Great show, but
Great show but the fireworks on the bridge were pretty stupid. distraction more than anything. attendance seemed way down. music was a lot quieter than in years past, couldn't really here it much at all during the fireworks. Officer Donohue's appearance was the best part of the night, in my book.
Might lose Longfellow Bridge next year
It will be in the middle of a huge reconstruction project, with car traffic in only one inbound lane, and an MBTA Red Line track relocated into what's now a car lane. I suspect it won't be safe to put a huge crowd there.
Meanwhile, in Provincetown
People slowly gathered on the town beaches, swam, brought their dogs and water bottles and strollers and chairs, hung out with their families, and dispersed into town afterward.
Not the Esplanade show, but fine enough and close enough and without the swelter or the security theater.
Probably would take less time to hop on one of the fast trips from Boston instead of waiting in line. You could even watch from one of the waterfront bars, beer in hand if you'd like.
Must you have a fantastic
Must you have a fantastic story about how everything you do or experience is so much better than what's going on in doldrum, everyday, boring Boston? Jesus.
Meanwhile in Portland
Everybody rode their bikes to see the fireworks, which were organic and free-range.
My excellent story was
My excellent story was sitting in my air conditioned sunporch,overlooking my meadow,watching a private fireworks display ( dont know whose firecrackers they actually were ) and on the tv the Boston broadcast. All the comforts of home. I am not sure if they have ever used this song to go with the fireworks, but it is a good one. Brooks & Dunn - Only In America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detail...
When you Grow Up
You might actually have a life, too!
Leave your house - and your neighborhood - once in a while. Drive to Canada for a weekend, even.
It's good for you.
You might actually realize then that what I did isn't exactly 1)exotic; 2) far away or 3)in a "foreign" state!
Imagine - going to ANOTHER PART OF THE STATE for the 4th of July! And NOT BEING FRISKED. And not having to pay $$$ for "secure" bottled water and crappy concessions would probably pay the ferry ticket alone. Picnicking is so elitist, though.
We weren't frisked in Newton
And $1 water bottles on the way in and a carnival on the way out (where we got that all important fried dough). There were signs all over saying police might search bags, but I didn't see any searches.
Exactly!
But now someone has to go on a personal rant about how you are either "too good for tap water" or some sort of snob for NOT going to Boston.
When did terrorists set off
When did terrorists set off bombs in Provincetown?
Please provide your evidence
Please provide your evidence that the Tsarnaev brothers were part of a vast group of evildoers looking to wreak mayhem across Boston as opposed to two emotionally disturbed individuals.
Or does it make you feel all smug parroting the party line that because two crazed brothers decided to attack one public event, that we should be henceforth petrified that every public fathering in Massachusetts is now a target?
fun with typos
"public fathering"? Now I understand the need for all that security...eeessh.
Damn you, bad typing!
Damn you, bad typing!
Freudian slip?
Freudian slip?
It is paternalism run amok.
would
breast feeding in public be public mothering?
Please provide your evidence
Please provide your evidence that the Tsarnaev brothers are the only domestic terrorists operating in Massachusetts.
Monsters under the bed
Please provide evidence that there are no invisible monsters under your bed.
Also, how do we know that you are not a terrorist?
Please provide efficacy statistics for security theater
Like "#of bombs found", "#of incidents prevented".
Also, the false positive and false negative rates for these activities.
Difficult to tell what is or isn't effective without, you know, oversight and a bit of evidence that it does anything to militarize the police and megatuple the double overtime costs?
Food poisoning
Around 3,000 Americans die each year from food poisoning. That's about 12 times the number of deaths from terrorists the past decade.
But imagine the uproar and ridicule if the authorities announced that they were spending $___ million to deploy an army of food scientists along the Esplanade to check the internal temperature of the food everyone was barbecuing.
Yet so-called Americans feel grateful being felt up by government employees or contractors to celebrate their country's independence.
So because people die from
So because people die from other things, we shouldn't bother to prevent terrorism. Ok.
That's all great, except I
That's all great, except I see little evidence that checking spectators' bags in a small confined area prevents terrorism. If someone's determined to cause mayhem, they'll just move to a spot where there are no checkpoints. There were ample places last night with tightly packed spectators where no one had been screened (e.g. entering the T after the fireworks).
Proportionality
I don't see him arguing that terrorism shouldn't be prevented. His question is one of proportional response.
Do you think that spending well beyond our means in order to prevent terrorism is prudent given that so many other things kill in greater numbers per year and yet funding on all of those other things continues to go down in both absolute AND relative amounts?
admission fee
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If the police are going to pull the same stunts at next year's concert, it's high time to charge an admission fee. Spectators want to feel safe as they're being frisked? Then pay for it. Air passengers pay a "9/11 security fee," so why shouldn't spectators pay for their alleged security too?
No great stats for security but.....
People can control their own food temps, and we do rely on millions of dollars spent on public health budgets (well worth it I might add) to ensure businesses follow the law when it comes to public health issues.
But fear of crime does have numbers, and politicians use these numbers to have security checkpoints on events like the one you saw on the Esplenade last night.
Don't like it? Vote Deval Patrick out, or vote for a new mayor who promises to have security-free checkpoints at public events, etc, etc.
You will find that you are in the minority I assume, because Deval Patrick and the Mayor approve these securtiy measures based on public opinion, advice from security experts, and the 'fear of crime' numbers.
If this is about crime ...
Those cops should have been in the neighborhoods where crime is a serious problem - like, the ones where the death toll is an order of magnitude above that of the marathon bombing.
On overtime?
Write to your local politician to request an increase in that budget, and also request the stats on increase patrols vs. crime while you are at it. Let me know what they tell you.
Of course, most voters would rather pay for increased security at public events.
Sure
Given the problem of lacking patrols in rural areas and the casualty figures from select urban areas, I'd say that it would be a far better use of the Commonwealth's money.
Volunteers can be handed radios and trained to do sweeps, as someone described doing at a large event in the midwest in an earlier thread. Some police presence is warranted, but the massive double overtime festival needs to show some proof that it actually works compared to catching drunks and nailing drug dealers.
Again.....
Go ask your local politican and see what they say. Then let us all know what is going to happen.
(now watch me take a page out of your own "Swirly's guide to life, and how you should live it"):
Why don't you go out and orgainze something?
Boston police <> Credibility
Boston and Massachusetts police waste money monitoring groups that meet in churches to address social problems. Boston police abrogate responsibility to monitor taxi companies. Boston police commit legal graft called details.
My encounters with Boston police have consistently left me with the impression that they would prefer to be doing something else. That's assuming they get an address right. I've witnessed Boston police go to the wrong address.
And the police presence last light was as efficient and well coordinated as a Rube Goldberg invention.
Bullshit
People are horrible at controlling their own food temps. They're also really bad at deciding "it doesn't smell bad...". They also can't tell if the meat they bought is laced with E. Coli from an improperly cleaned machine at the factory. It's why he's right to state there are so many food poisoning cases each year.
Millions on public health? Maybe even hundreds of millions? Oh, well then. Let's just stop before we add another zero and have to make it "billions"...like, say, the Homeland Security budget: FY 2013 -- $60.8 billion and that's just DHS! That doesn't count NSA
domestic spyinganti-terrorism efforts, for example (about a billion more there).As for businesses following the law...that's only because they're the ones writing them and getting them passed (by
hiringdonating to the right campaigns) so they can continue to act in THEIR best interests and not ours.And you think the local politicians are acting out of numbers and public opinion? No, the only number their acting out of is the amount of money coming from federal agencies like DHS to implement these quasi-military responses. The locals just have to tie into the information network to kick all of their photos and logs regarding "terrorist" groups like Occupy up the chain to the federal level.
And for all of that effort? The Marathon still got bombed.
People are bad at many things......
Driving, owning guns, owning swimming pools, taking legal drugs,
People die from all those things, but they are usually in some sort of control when doing those things. You still have control over what you eat, and voters know that.
And yea, the local politicians are acting out of who is going to vote for them, and fear of crime stats strongly influence politicians positions.
Again, if you don't like it, vote for someone who shares you opinion. And again, you will probably find that most people don't share your opinion and don't mind paying that extra money for security.
And how horrible are people at cooking things? How many people die per chicken/burger cooked in this country?
What fear of crime stats?
The Washington Post poll a few days after the Boston Marathon bombing said 48% believe the government overreacts is their greater fear than 41% that said they fear dying to terrorists if the government doesn't do enough.
I find more people on my side of this issue in April than you do on yours.
Secondly, "voting for someone who shares my opinion" is meaningless. In our current two-party system, if you want to spend $10 million in campaign contributions between the two parties, then you give one saying he'll end the war on terror $5.5 million and the other guy who wants to invade every other country on Earth $4.5 million to hedge your bet. Then call in your multi-million dollar favor for them to institute greater security restrictions because you manufacture bulletproof armor. The "end war on terror" guy will "end the war on terror"...by instituting greater security protocols "because he's responsible for our safety".
Neither political party houses my views and no third party stands a chance given the overwhelming self-interest of the two parties in power combined with the massive might of their fundraising machinery and the incomprehensible loyalty to party that about 30% of America has which continues to be fostered by the mass media turning our political scene into a sporting event and cohabitating with the very machinery which has allowed our government to be sold off to the highest bidders.
No. My vote on anything of this scale is at-best an attempt to take the least angled trajectory down the slope and is no longer an attempt to restore us to a improved vantage.
Oh I'm on your side.
I'm just explaining to you why the government does things the way they do, and you still have the power to change it. But there simply aren't enough people out there who feel strongly enough to change anything. Which means it isn't that big of a deal in the long run. Hell, even the courts are telling us this isn't a violation of our 4th Amendment Rights.
Tell people you are going to raise their taxes by 2% to cover for these security costs and you will see some actual change. Until then nothing will happen and I for one am not going to be suprised.
Fear of Crime is still real, and politicians play the game. One Washington Post poll might mean something, but scientific studies and the analysis that goes with those studies is what ultimatly leads to policy.
But Swirls , I like my
But Swirls , I like my neighborhood and my meadow.I had fun making it. Canada was nice but it aint home ( altho P.E.I.'s are the best ). Tap water refridged is fine by me. Hatch shell, seen some concerts there, J Geils maybe, cant remember, back then you could drink. Seen alot of places maybe you have, but with a different perspective I am sure. Be nice, and maybe someday you will be old, and have pins and stuff in your body too. But alas no fifth on the fourth for me.
I'm sure I will
Heck, I usually spend the 4th sitting in my dining room watching the Esplanade fireworks (although, in your situation, I won't have that luxury because it is a "poor man's view" - 22 steps to the front door).
But I don't think it is wrong or weird or that it merits a personal attack to point out that there are other pleasant places to watch fireworks that may not be the super-duper-choreographed display of Boston, but have their own essential charms that are lacking from a highly policed and penned in crowd scene.
Alas , Swirls , keep your
Alas , Swirls , keep your chin up. I was once poor in a six family, but worked my way up to a nice peaceful rural setting, where the deer ( no antelope yet ) eat my farm store cracked corn so they wont eat my planted stuff. And now yellow is my favorite landscape color, with the Stellas and Susans blooming. Funny ting, it was the color yellow that drove me from my then blissful 3 decker. Such is life, but work hard for about 40 years , grab the pension , and groove your way to the finish line. Did i tell you about the time I worked out of the Adams family brewery ( it was in its former life with another name )...........
it's been just as hot in prior years
"Several people said attendance seemed to be down on the Esplanade, although it was hard to say if it was because of the increased security or the increased heat"
Yeah, I love how officials are trying to spin this as "it was the heat".
July 4th is always hot. I remember going 10 years ago and despite the heat, there were records set for attendance, something like half a million people on the Esplanade.
Last year it was hot and muggy as well, until the thunderstorms came in and cooled things down a bit, but the police screwed the pooch on that too with the evacuation business.
No, it wasn't the heat. It was the police crap. Soon as it was announced, people were complaining about how ridiculous and useless it was. Everyone I talked to had plans to go watch the fireworks somewhere else, either elsewhere in the state, or the Boston fireworks but not from the Esplanade. I know a number of people who live in Boston but planned on watching from Cambridge because Boston and the State Police were freaking out.
This is a pathetic fiasco. We're the birthplace of our nation's independence and we let our militarized police take over; every year it's been more and more about "security" and that #$@!ing production company making millions...and less and less about freedom. We need to demand that the state police commander be fired....and it's time to cut their budget, too. They've had a free run for 12 years getting whatever toys they want, and they've turned into more of a military than a police force. It's time to remember who they're supposed to serve, not the other way around.
other parks were packed
According to some DCR folks we talked to, all the other parks were unusually packed yesterday. The number of people at Shannon Beach was astounding.
Gotta justify that overtime
I don't know how they decided to do crowd control over by Charles/MGH, but I strongly suspect the words "pick it out of a hat" were involved. We wandered over towards the Longfellow Bridge shortly before the fireworks, intending to catch the Red Line at Kendall afterwards...nope, bridge fenced off and nobody could cross. That makes sense. So we wandered down near the river, under the bridge, where people had trampled the plastic fence in a dozen places to get right alongside the river, then wound up on that pedestrian bridge going back to Charles Station, only to find that they'd blocked off the usual entry to the station and were herding people halfway down Cambridge Street (and, apparently, not letting them into the station, it seemed from a walkby). Luckily we were able to switch on the fly and get out of town another way, but what a mess and what a display of authorities putting on a show of crowd control to no good effect. (If I were of a mind to blow something up and cause a lot of damage and havoc (PS, I'm not), there were several police-created packed-in areas of humanity). I can't imagine I'll be back next year.
checkpoints
>> there were several police-created packed-in areas of humanity
It's too bad that no reporter had the temerity to ask spectators amassed before the checkpoints -- the ones who were grateful for the police making them safe -- whether they were worried about a suicide bomber blowing himself up right at the checkpoint area. Maybe then more citizens would start to realize the show of force for what it was: a show.
Militarized police?
Why militarize the police when you can have actual military doing some of the footwork?
On the Cambridge side of the river, they had 2 army reserve guys stomping up and down the foot path closest to the water. They were using a flashlight to search through the bushes and check out the water line all night. It was stupid. If someone even was to plant a bomb out where we were, they'd blow up what...maybe 3 of us...maybe 5. More earthworms would suffer as a result than people.
There was also a statie walking along the roadside too and occasionally flashlighted the crowd.
Then DURING the fireworks, there was a helicopter with its spotlight on pointed at the Boston side of the river which was distracting as well.
Let's add all this to the fact that the Red Sox game acted as if Independence Day is another Veterans Day or Memorial Day...tons of military everywhere. Military wishes from abroad on the scoreboard. A new POW/MIA seat dedication at the start of the game.
Between the security state and the military adoration in this country right now, it feels like we're at one of the lowest points in our nation's history.
roger that.
.
The flip side of this
People in rural areas have to wait 20 minutes to never for any sort of police response because the cost of police is prohibitive.
Of course these are the areas that fermented the Meth problem across the country, and continue to have oxycodone issues that breed home invasions and the like.
Consider as well that one of the worst terrorism incidents in US history - the Oklahoma City bombing - involved a bomb that was built out of sight and undetected in a rural area. Such activities are much easier when you don't even have enough cops to respond to routine calls.
Not the flip side at all, Swirly
I posit that the response time to rural areas has not changed a bit. Please provide stats showing otherwise.
Also, I've seen no statistics showing meth or opiate related issues being worse in rural areas, per capita.
Please cite sources on this
Were there 2 fireworks going
Were there 2 fireworks going on concurrently? I was at Robbins Farm Park in Arlington and we were sitting right off Eastern where we saw some tiny fireworks go off in the distance. When that one ended, I saw the fireworks were still going on the big screen so I walked to the other side of the park and saw another set of fireworks that were 5x larger. I can only assume the large fireworks was the Boston Pops one, but what was the little one I saw off in the distance?
Newton? Watertown?
I'm in Brighton and was watching the Boston fireworks on TV. I could also hear booming coming from the opposite direction. I'm guess maybe Newton or Watertown had their own display going on?
Might have been Newton or Winthrop
Depending on what direction you were looking.
Thanks, I was thinking it was
Thanks, I was thinking it was near the airport (same direction as Boston from Arlington, but a little further away). I wonder why Winthrop would have their own if Boston's fireworks are so close?
We Winthropites might be
We Winthropites might be un-urbane hayseads, but we do like to have our own community events from time-to-time. :-)
Bonus points
People watch it from their boats!
A neighbor of mine keeps their boat moored at one of the boat clubs and heads out every year just for that display.
Weymouth does a July 3 display that is also good for boats, and even kayak friendly (Wessagussett Beach has a nice little cove).
(don't know if you can still do that on the Charles - but getting through the dam is a hassle on July 4)
You also can't see Boston
You also can't see Boston display from most of Winthrop unless you have a roof deck. However, you can see the distant displays (as well as Winthrop's own) all along the North and South shores from the sea wall.
Great Point!
Watched Nahant, Hull, Swampscott/Lynn?, Hull?, and Winthrop's all from Winthrop Shore Drive last night. Ended up being a great night for fireworks!
Winthrop did its fireworks display....
... starting around 9:30.
Attendance
If it is hard to tell if attendance was down, then it was down. With half the viewing areas closed up (particularly with the Mass Ave Bridge closed), it would have been unbearably crowded everywhere else. But if it was the same crowding on the esplanade as always, with attendance "possibly" down, then there were absolutely fewer people.
Picture says it all
When you treat spectators as prison inmates, expect fewer inmates to show up.
Pretty simple.
Resistance is Futile
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
Police in the smallest corners
I watched the fireworks where Hereford and Back Street connect. There were at least a dozen police. In that area there were 3 or 4 dozen civilians enjoying the show. Did the cop to civilian ratio need to be 1 to 4 at a minor and insignificant intersection?
Perhaps those cops were assigned to that spot to wait in case they were needed. If that were the case they would require several minutes to move from a cut off position to Storrow Drive if they were needed to capture a suspect running from Storrow Drive.
The fireworks were pleasant to watch from that vantage point. I may return to that spot again next year. While I agree that closing off the Mass Ave bridge was probably unnecessary and extreme (but these are police - they are supposed to be extreme), not having to deal sardine can conditions upon leaving the bridge was a nice change.