As fireworks illuminate the sky over the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on July 4, 2025, Americans watching the 45th annual “A Capitol Fourth” will be treated to a star-studded concert, with performers including multiple “American Idol” alums and music legends The Temptations and The Beach Boys, per a press release.
“Dancing With the Stars” host Alfonso Ribeiro will oversee the night’s festivities to celebrate America’s 249th birthday, per the release, featuring “the greatest display of Independence Day fireworks anywhere in the USA, lighting up the iconic D.C. skyline, ” per the release.
Among the show’s featured performers will be “American Idol” season 22 winner Abi Carter and chart-topping contemporary Christian artist Lauren Daigle, who was a contestant on seasons 9 – 11, per Newsweek.
‘American Idol’ Stars Are Part of Jam-Packed Schedule on 4th of July
Airing nationally on PBS from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, “A Capitol Fourth” will be beamed out to U.S. troops around the world via the American Forces Network. The show can also be streamed via YouTube or on the PBS website, and is available via Video on Demand from July 4 to July 18, 2025.
In addition to featuring Carter, Daigle, The Temptations, and the Beach Boys — who just lost bandmate Brian Wilson — other performers at “A Capitol Fourth” will include country star Josh Turner, New Orleans icon Trombone Shorty, feel-good country group LOCASH, Grammy winning Gospel singer Yolanda Adams, and the National Symphony Orchestra with pops conductor Jack Everly.
A press release said that the tradition will continue of of kicking off the fireworks finale with a “stirring rendition of the ‘1812 Overture’ accompanied by live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery.”
Patriotic tunes will be played by The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and The Joint Armed Forces Chorus.
Where Has Abi Carter Been Since Winning ‘American Idol?’
After winning “American Idol” in 2023, Carter made the bold choice not to pursue a record deal and to use the money she won to set herself up as an independent artist.
“I just kind of realized that I wanted to figure out who I was and what I wanted to be,” she told EntertainmentNOW in March 2025. “It was a good decision to kind of take a step back and give myself that chance to figure it out on my own and see, you know, who I am at my core.”
Carter, now 22, moved into her own apartment in Los Angeles, began honing her craft as a songwriter, built a support team to help her pursue her music goals, and released her first album, “ghosts in the backyard,” full of vulnerable and poignant songs, including the emotionally raw “some people need drugs.” She also headlined her first U.S. tour, performing at small venues to get her feet wet.
She returned to the “Idol” stage during season 23 to sing her new song “Burned” and announced she’ll be touring again this fall.
