“Now I have to come back… . This is just phenomenal, the atmosphere, the historical significance.’’
From a trio of anchored barges laden with 20,000 pounds of pyrotechnics, the fireworks ripped through the night sky, some whistling, some soaring, before exploding into candy-colored constellations and brilliant weeping willows, coordinated with a crowd- pleasing, star-spangled soundtrack.
“I was here all day in the heat and sun, so I was like, ‘It better be good.’ And it was!’’ said Paula Vetrovec, 44, of Guttenberg, N.J., another first-timer. “It exceeded my expectations.’’
It was the 235th birthday for the nation and the 38th production of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, the nationally televised extravaganza that has become synonymous with the Hub and the holiday. Regulars and newcomers, tourists and locals, they all left raving.
“I’ve been to Disney World and New York to see fireworks, [but] they just have the best show here,’’ said Matt Lincoln, 50, from Mansfield, who has been coming every year since 1983.
These days, he is an old hand, waking at 5:15 a.m. to stake out a 30-person encampment on the riverside of the Esplanade Lagoon, not far from the bust of the late Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, in prime fireworks position.
Yesterday morning, Lincoln and a friend pitched two tents and unfurled an array of patriotic decorations, to await the arrival of a group hailing from as far as California and Florida. Some are close friends and relatives, others acquaintances the duo met at past celebrations, their friendships renewed each July Fourth over shrimp cocktail and cold fried chicken.
Nearby, Joanne Towne of Cumberland, R.I., was making her first trip, bringing family and friends from North Carolina.
“Seeing the fireworks on TV isn’t the same,’’ said Towne, 46, who scoured the Internet beforehand for pointers on what to bring and where to sit, even studying Google Earth to note trees that might block the view. “It’s a bucket-list thing… . We always wanted to come here.’’
