Blind Boys of Alabama entertain 10,000 at Hoover's 2017 Freedom Fest
An estimated 10,000 people turned out at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium Tuesday night to celebrate the Fourth of July at the 2017 Freedom Fest, city officials said.
The Blind Boys of Alabama were the music act for the night, filling the air with their soulful and gospel sounds in a 75-minute show.
The highlight of the performance came when the Grammy Award-winning group’s leader, Jimmy Carter of Birmingham, left the stage and took a (guided) stroll through the grandstands near the end of the show as the group sang an extended version of one of their songs.
“They were very energetic, and it was awesome to be able to see a group perform that has been performing over 70-some years,” said Erin Colbaugh, the city of Hoover’s events coordinator. “Artists are lucky if they have a few good hits, let alone that may hits, to perform.”
People enjoyed seeing their energy and enthusiasm to continue to perform, Colbaugh said.
The ZOOperstars, a group of mascot-like characters in inflatable costumes that dance to music, also entertained the crowd before and after the Blind Boys.
Other activities at the fifth annual Freedom Fest included a classic and sports car show and children’s activities that included inflatables, a building station, face painting, balloon twisters and a photo booth.
Colbaugh said it was a great night as the city continued to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
“It was a bit hot, but the weather was great for people to come out and enjoy the fireworks,” she said.
The night ended as usual with a 20-minute fireworks show. See the final few minutes of the fireworks:
Traffic was extremely heavy afterward. It took some people more than an hour to get out of the Hoover Met parking lot.