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More like fire-didn’t-work, amirite?
NBC and Peacock’s presentation of this year’s Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks sparked a flurry of complaints from viewers who took issue with several deviations from the annual special’s tried-and-true formula.
Produced by Grammy and Emmy winner Jason Howland and co-hosted by Zuri Hall (of NBCU’s Access Hollywood and American Ninja Warrior) and singer Mickey Guyton, Thursday night’s telecast was scheduled to feature performances by Guyton herself as well as Bell Biv DeVoe, Lainey Wilson, Luis Fonsi, Mark Ambor, Shaboozey, Alex Newell, Amber Mark, Brandy Clark, Tanner Adell and The War And Treaty.
“Each [performer] will reimagine and remix iconic American tunes across a variety of genres and decades, interweaving patriotic anthems with contemporary hits,” read the pre-show press release.
Patriotic anthems, however, were in limited supply. Instead, you got…. “Poison”? And once the world-famous fireworks display got popping, the telecast this year focused far more than ever before on the singers.
One X user noted “very few or obstructed fireworks scenes on @Macys @nbc 4th of July special. Waaay too much performers and waaaaaay too little fireworks.” As such, they likened it to “Macy’s singers and music special with some fireworks in the background.“
“This was my least favorite fireworks performance from Macy’s!” posted another X user. “Basically no patriotic music and most of the shots were of the singers and not the fireworks!… Not a fan of this one.”
“Hey @NBC, why did we need to watch the singers vs the Macys fireworks??!!” asked someone on Threads. Added another Threads user, “Worst fireworks music ever for macys this year. Bunch of people no one knows singing songs that have nothing to do with the fourth. Not showing enough fireworks.”
The Macy’s fireworks display’s grand finale, meanwhile, was arguably less grand then ever. Coming out of a commercial break that clumsily cleaved the fireworks display in two, the grand finale was effectively doused by the rolling of closing credits over the action.
Great finale @NBCNews of the @Macys #fireworks through the credits… #july4th pic.twitter.com/q9b6C7dgOp
— Manny Alicandro (@Manny_Alicandro) July 5, 2024
“Over the years, @Macys made me watch incredible performances alongside the fireworks,” but this year, “my mind was not blown bc … the finale had credits transposed over it 😡,” remarked one X user. “MACY’s. TOO MUCH. Separate the performances! Instrumentals with fireworks!
Added another, “This was the most disgraceful telecast for the Macy’s fireworks. NBC horrific job. Did we really need live singers on stage during the show? Worst was rolling credits during the recorded finale, cause they went to commercial. Brutal.”
TVLine has reached out to NBC for comment.
They moved them to my side of Manhattan this year, so I watched them out the window in one room while I had NBC on in the other room. The song choices seemed less jingoistic than usual but I had no idea they weren’t even showing the fireworks!
You could see them out your window, so you…watched them on TV? SMH.
Read it again.
So disappointing. We tuned in to watch a fantastic fireworks display and got a pops concert instead. What were they thinking?
I’m wondering if lots of people are so disappointed with the waste of money and time Macy’s show ,,, that they’ll
stop shopping there.
WORST Macy’s fireworks show EVER if I was the family who put on the fireworks I would be incensed The singers were COMPLETELY DISTRACTING. It was supposed to be a FIREWORKS show Not a music festival. AGAIN WORST PRODUCTION EVER 🤬🤬🤬🤬
I totally agree couldn’t appreciate the fireworks because it was a concert
We wait all year to see these fireworks and NBC ruined it – disgraceful, horrible, so disappointing.
Camera work was awful. We want fireworks, not a cheezy concert.
It was the Worst 4th of July Fireworks and music performance for a celebration
In NYC. Ever!!!Disgraceful. Shame on the Producers !!! Shame on NBC President to have accepted this concept
Disappointing.
Patti,
I agree with your comment!
I agree!
The show was a mess and
so badly presented…..
Wow, was able to watch last night, guess I’ll not bother watching the show I recorded. MACY’S What????
Terrible. Focus should be,and always was, on the fireworks. Instead we got a concert of people I don’t know singing stuff I don’t like with no connection to July 4th. The old format was perfect- background music from well known performers doing songs appropriate for July 4th. Somebody should be fired for this!
Almost everything about the
show was horrible even the
people who were hosts.
So glad I watched my local (Nashville) telecast instead! No singing; our music was done by the Nashville Orchestra and was great! We even had drones!!!
I watched my local (Seattle) show. It was great.
I felt like I was watching a chorus of Idol 8th place finishers on the last performance of a regional tour.
Did not like the show at all was looking forward to the show but was totally disappointed
Terrible fireworks show. The worst ever. No patriotic music and boring performances all around. What happened Macys??? Or did NBC try to only appeal to younger audiences? Go back to the drawing board
Very disappointed and I’m sure Macy’s was too. A lot of time, money and effort is put into the fireworks spectacular and NBC blew it. I wanted to see the fireworks from the comfort of my home. Instead a got a glimpse of fireworks and a concert I wasn’t interested in. Awful. Never made it to the end , switched off
Is anyone really surprised? Main stream media has lost touch with their customer base. They all want to cater to liberals so much that they refuse to play patriotic music even on a holiday based on the independence of our nation.
I prefer listening to the orchestra play during the fireworks.
Last night NBC, you dropped the ball! This by far was the worst fireworks telecast was absolutely horrible! We tuned in to watch the FIREWORKS, not the PEOPLE!!!
It was so much better when it was a WNBC production, not national. Same with the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting. Focus is elsewhere. I only tuned in at 9:30 for the actual fireworks and found the signers instead. Yikes. I could have driven over to Weehauken to watch them instead. Next year, I know that’s what I’ll probably do.
Worst most unpatriotic crap show I’ve ever seen on the 4th of July.
I watched on time delay and fast forwarded thru most of it. As soon as the credits appeared over the fireworks, I turned it off.
I was also watching Capitol 4th on PBS, it was slightly better. (It would have been hard to beat last year’s with Chicago and Belinda Carlisle.) They had a picture in picture of the performers that would come and go over the fireworks. The fireworks looked blurry to me. I don’t know if that was due to camera angles or smoke or what, it just wasn’t crisp.
Macy’s is closing stores but still financing this fireworks display which is all about singers and barely patriotic. I’m glad others commented on same. But should I be surprised when I see patriotism circling the drain in this country. I changed the channel
This year’s broadcast reminds me of when they had Usher featured. Same formula… all pop music, not enough patriotic music. What was really bothersome was how the fireworks were an afterthought here. I tuned in to see the fireworks show, as I do every year, not the camera focused on the performers.
Agree 100% And how about Lizzos couisin in her Temu dress! I started singing Yankee Doodle dandy half way through🎆😎
Alex Newell is a Tony Award winning beautiful singer. shame on you.
The show was so horrible that I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to watch people enjoying their fireworks, even though it was a sweltering 90 plus degrees last night…
Fireworks second singers first did not work. Disgraceful.
Very disappointed
This was the worst Macy’s Fireworks show in history. I wanted to see the fireworks, not a bunch of singers. Go back to the way it was, save money on singers just use music tracks that are timed to the fireworks.
Macys firework show. Looking forward to these fireworks every year and What a terrible change of production from a magniicent display of fireworks on July 4 to a mediocre at best stage show. Fireworks became minor importance. What a terrible example of production. I hope Macys prevents this in future years
i have always enjoyed the Macy’s fireworks display. Not this time. All I saw was bodies jumping around a stage hiding what should have been a magnificent show. Incredibly disappointing. Hope you go back to the former productions in future years.
Looks like I made the right choice in which shows to watch. The Capitol Fourth special on PBS was great, as always. I alternated between that and the CNN one streaming on Max. Both had better performers, people I had heard of, although one of the shows (not sure which) had a performance still playing when the fireworks began a bit too early (seemingly, because after the performance ended then the proper orchestra began some patriotic songs – WHICH IS WHAT SHOULD ALWAYS HAPPEN DURING INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS). And after both shows ended (one lasted longer than the other) I went outside to watch our neighbors’ illegal fireworks and the nearby city approved shows going on across the sky.
Capitol Fourth’s fireworks started a bit too early. They just had to roll with it.
This was not a patriotic show in anyway.Fireworks with singers over shadowing them. No Stars and Stripes for ever. Nothing that
Screams Americas Birthday.
The worst show ever
I agree 100% that was the worst I have ever seen,NBC messed that up just they have done to the Olympics and NASCAR