Music and fireworks have been Americans’ favorite ways to celebrate the Fourth of July since 1894, when Grover Cleveland ceased the Independence Day tradition of giving every American citizen 20 minutes of veto power. Salute the nation’s birth in constitutional style with today’s Groupon: for $20, you get one ticket to the 25th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular with the San Francisco Symphony at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Monday, July 4, at 8 p.m. (a $29.50 value before fees, or up to a $40 value online, including all ticketing fees). Seating is located in sections 200–204 and will be assigned at the Groupon table located near the box office on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The San Francisco Symphony lends its tuneful talents as the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular celebrates its 25th year of blending world-class music with eye-popping sky explosions. The acclaimed symphony, helmed by the gleeful gesticulations of conductor Donato Cabrera, scores the jubilee with a string of star-spangled laudations and memorable selections from the soundtracks of films such as E.T. and Star Wars. This year’s Spectacular also features Jon Miller, the nondisembodied voice of the San Francisco Giants, delivering a rousing reading of the arrogance-admonishing fable Casey at the Bat, along with a raffle of splendiferous prizes that includes a trip to Disneyland. Kid-friendly performers at the Radio Disney Family Festival Stage keep restless critters at bay until the sun wanes and a lengthy display of top-notch pyrotechnics detonates to the accompaniment of a musical crescendo, bringing tears to the eyes of all royalty-dependent descendants of Francis Scott Key.