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Technique and timing: Guard cannons bring bang to Pops' 4th of July concert
Every Fourth of July, the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade ends with a bang. And it isn't just fireworks.
The high point of the 1812 Overture includes firing cannons. The piece is about Russia's defeat of Napoleon's invading armies. And Tchaikovsky wrote cannons into the music. So, every year, the Pops enlist a small squad of Massachusetts National Guard soldiers to operate three Howitzers aimed toward the Charles River.
Sgt. Matthew Jodoin, a Beverly native and member of the 101st Field Artillery Regiment, will be one of the Guard members firing the cannons. He told WBUR's All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins that even though the whole thing lasts only about 20 seconds, it takes a lot of technique and timing.
This segment aired on July 3, 2025.
