Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina Set for iHeartCountry Independence Day Special

While many Independence Day celebrations in the United States are being canceled or drastically slimmed down this year, iHeartMedia is going to the homes of several country performers for a new television special. The iHeartCountry 4th of July BBQ airs Friday, July 3rd at 8 p.m. ET on the CW Network and includes performances by Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina, and Old Dominion.

Hosted by iHeartMedia radio personality Bobby Bones, the special will feature each of the above artists performing their respective hits from their own backyards. In addition to airing as a television broadcast, the program will stream as an audio broadcast on iHeartCountry radio stations and then replay throughout the holiday weekend.

In normal years, Nashville typically hosts one of the nation’s largest Independence Day events, a free block party that routinely draws thousands to downtown for music and a large fireworks display. With the COVID-19 pandemic still very much a concern, city officials called off the block party for this year and bumped performer Brad Paisley to next year’s celebration, but a fireworks show will still go on and be broadcast via local TV stations.

Meanwhile, the artists involved in iHeartMedia’s BBQ remain off the road. Alaina wrapped up a supporting gig on Blake Shelton’s Heroes and Friends tour a little early, and her Getting Good EP was released in March. More recently, Brown released the song “Worldwide Beautiful” urging unity and togetherness in response to the protests around the death of George Floyd.