Trisha Yearwood on July 4 concert, her faith: 'What you lean on in hard times'

USA Today

14 hours ago

NBC's 49th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks special includes 80,000 exploding shells and two returning American classics – the Brooklyn Bridge (for the first time since 2019) and Trisha Yearwood.
Yearwood, 60, admits she doesn't perform on Independence Day anymore, "unless it's something really big, like this." So the singer returns to the stage for a pre-fireworks concert hosted by Ariana DeBose that also features the Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer and Eric Church. The special airs at 8 ET/PT, and streams live on Peacock.
The country music icon, who has been married to Garth Brooks for two decades, was inspired to perform songs from her upcoming album, "The Mirror" (out July 18). "The album is very personal to me, having co-written every song on it, which I've never done before," Yearwood tells USA TODAY from her Nashville home. "I'm still figuring out which two songs I'm going to sing from it. But we're going to make it fun."
Here's what to know:
The July 4 concert got Yearwood out of grilling hot dogs for 250,000
The July 4 concert pulled Yearwood out of working at Nashville's Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, owned owned by Brooks, who's been largely out of the spotlight amid a civil suit alleging he raped a former employee and his countersuit calling the accusations a "shakedown."
But in a cheeky June 19 Instagram video, Yearwood tells Brooks that they are cooking out for "a quarter of a million" people on July 4, adding in the comments that Friends In Low Places will give out free hot dogs on the holiday.
"Macy's got me out of it. So I'll be missing out on cooking 250,000 hot dogs," says Yearwood, who admits the number is an exaggeration. "Nashville is expecting a quarter of a million visitors that day, and we hope they all come to the bar. We don't know when we'll run out of hot dogs."
Yearwood spends most July 4 holidays at the couple's Nashville home, which has hillside views of downtown. "So we can watch the Nashville fireworks and other towns from here. When I'm home, that's what I like to do with friends," Yearwood says.
This anthem is generally Yearwood's July 4 must-play
When Yearwood was headlining July 4 concerts two decades ago, she leaned on one power song. "I always do the national anthem," she says. There's a power in that song that really says, 'We are America.'"
The pro believes in singing "The Star Spangled Banner" a cappella. "My parents were always like, 'Sing the national anthem like it was written.' Even if they're both gone now, I still sing it that way, straightforward."
However, Yearwood's favorite version of the anthem is Whitney Houston's famous 1991 Super Bowl power rendition. "That's the be-all (and) end-all," Yearwood says. "We can't all do it like that. So just do it your way." Yearwood also admires Martina McBride's "Independence Day" for the holiday. "It's really not a happy song about July 4, but it's generally an up vibe," Yearwood says. "I've played that at many July 4 shows."
Her 1991 breakout hit "She's In Love With the Boy" is also concert-mandatory. "It pretty much works every holiday," Yearwood says. "If I'm doing a full show and I don't do that song, they'll probably carry me off the stage anyway."
Yearwood sings of faith in 'Angels': 'It's what gets you through'
Yearwood has been opening recent concerts with the "barn-burner" song "Bringing the Angels," inspired by a deep conversation about faith with her sister Beth Bernard, who received a writing credit.
"However your faith looks to you, it's what gets you through, what you rely on, what you lean on in hard times," says Yearwood. "My life is not perfect, and my life has not been perfect. I feel a strength in knowing that I'm not alone in it. That's what (faith) is to me. I feel sorry for people who don't have something to draw on."
As Beth was ready to head home after the spirited talk, she said to Yearwood, "Man, we are really bringing the angels today."
"And it was like, 'That's the song,' It kind of wrote itself," says Yearwood, who adds that she's always had powerful faith. "I'm not a wear-it-on-my-sleeve person."
Pro tip: Stay hydrated in life, July 4 concerts
Yearwood credits being in the "best shape of my life" to basic vital care. "I drink a lot of water and get my sleep, all the things I didn't do in my 20s and 30s."
The singer is already focused on July 4 hydration. "I'm taking my full band with me, and we'll have tons of water," Yearwood says. "My biggest career lesson is don't overthink it. I'll have my water, somebody will do my hair and makeup, and I'm going to be cute. It's going to be fine."
How to watch the Macy's July 4 concert and fireworks
The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show airs on NBC at 8 ET/PT (streaming live on Peacock) with the fireworks beginning at 9:25 ET/PT. There will be an hour-long NBC encore presentation at 10 EST/PST. Telemundo's telecast will air at 9 ET/PT.