Metro Philadelphia<\/p>\n
Philadelphia’s Fourth of July concert and fireworks celebration resumed early Sunday after severe thunderstorms forced a nearly three-hour delay, allowing thousands of attendees to return to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the remainder of the festivities.<\/p>\n
The One Philly Unity Concert for America<\/a> resumed shortly after midnight with The Roots taking the stage. The celebration concluded with a fireworks<\/a> display over the Parkway at 2:43 a.m.<\/p>\n The late-night performances also featured State Property, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Meek Mill, Kathy Sledge and Will Smith. Earlier in the evening, the lineup also included Seal, Jordan Davis, Jill Scott and other guest performers as part of Philadelphia’s Fourth of July celebration coinciding with the nation’s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n “Tonight was everything One Philly is about,” Parker said in a statement. “We trusted the professionals who put safety first, welcomed people back when it was safe, and finished this historic celebration together.”<\/p>\n City officials said the Office of Emergency Management<\/a>, public safety agencies, the National Weather Service and ESM Productions monitored weather conditions throughout the evening before deciding it was safe to resume the event.<\/p>\n The fireworks display proceeded because the pyrotechnics had already been loaded into the launch system and could not be safely unloaded, making completion of the show the safest operational option, according to city officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n The concert capped a busy holiday weekend in Philadelphia, which also hosted matches during the FIFA World Cup and events marking the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration<\/a>. City officials said the weekend drew millions of residents and visitors to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n