Mother Nature dealt a blow to the Fourth of July festivities along the Esplanade Wednesday night when thunderstorms struck an hour before the scheduled start of the fireworks.
Around 9:30, the State Police halted the Hatch Shell concert and evacuated the Esplanade, ushering revelers into the tunnels on Storrow Drive to wait out the storm, a spokesman said.
As the skies threatened to open up, spectators on the bridges along the route said they too were asked to seek shelter.
The fate of the annual fireworks display was unclear as of 10 p.m., though authorities said the delay was only expected to last about a half hour.
The showers that dampened the celebration after dark, were far from the minds of the crowd earlier in the evening.
As dusk settled over Boston, the Esplanade was in full swing Wednesday evening, with hundreds of thousands of revelers enjoying live music from the Boston Pops, along with Jennifer Hudson and the Dropkick Murphys.
Diehards trekked in from the suburbs, armed with coolers and lawn chairs, but the visitors also included many out-of-staters. Among them was Jason Fulmer, 41, of Orlando, who made a special trip to the hub for the festivities. He said he has always wanted to attend the celebration and decided at the last minute to make the journey, arriving Tuesday night.
“No other city does it this big,” Fulmer said. “It’s hard to even believe that all of these people came out and came together to celebrate our country.”
Sisters Lisa Bowling, 45, of Kentucky, and Trish Bryant, 52, of Florida, came to pay tribute to their brother, a soldier in the US Army 101st Airborne Division who was killed in 2000.
“It’s about remembering our freedom,” Bowling said. “But today, it’s really about remembering him.”
Bryant said she was also excited about the concert.
“I’m most excited to see my love - the Boston Pops,” she said.
Much of the Esplanade was a sea of red, white and blue, with revelers dressed in patriotic garb and face paint, while service members donned their uniforms.
“I like dressing up and seeing everyone else being patriotic too,” said Whitney Thomas, of Ipswich, who wore a ball cap covered in red sequins, a homemade American flag shirt and stars ‘n stripes face paint.
About an hour before the musical program was set to start, some in the crowd were batting around beach balls and partying in American flag bikinis.
Stephen Wood and his daughter, Emma, 14, were continuing a tradition of celebrating Emma’s birthday on the Esplanade, a rite that began when she was 5.
“It’s really exciting sharing my birthday with the country,” Emma said. “I love coming so much. It’s definitely my favorite family tradition.”
Her father said it is always gratifying to see Emma enjoying the fun.
“As a dad you love her getting to be the star of the show,” he said. “It’s also really a great family time leaving all the distractions and electronics at home.”
They weren’t the only ones celebrating a birthday.
Kathy Rusin and her husband, Henry Wojciechowski, said they drove up from Pennsylvania to celebrate her 56th birthday.
“We’ve watched this celebration on TV every year for at least 15 years,” Rusin said. “This Christmas, my husband surprised me with this as my Christmas and birthday present.”
She recalled opening a giant box with a bow and finding an itinerary, a hotel booking, and a Boston Pops flier inside.
“I just said it casually, oh, about 100 times, ‘someday we’re going to Boston for the Fourth,’” said Rusin. “I just can’t believe we’re here. The people are so nice.”
Joe Laythe, 19, of Boston, brought an exotic pet to the festivities -- a yellow-tailed python named Jafar.
“He’s quite the celebrity today,” Laythe said as children posed for pictures with Jafar. “He loves the lights of the fireworks,” he said. “But not so much the sounds.”
There were plenty of sounds in the evening when the music started, often accompanied by flashing lights as many in the audience waved American flags.
Last year, the production team created controversy when it used images of the State House, Quincy Market, and Fenway Park as backdrops to the fireworks display. This year, they vowed to forgo the pictures after coming under scrutiny.
Revelers though, seemed less focus on the production as they soaked up the scenery on the Esplanade.
Steve Jasa and his friend Austin Merullo, both 18, have attended the celebration several times before and arrived this year at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to secure the most optimal view.
“We were about 20th in line, but we had a strategy,” Jasa said. “Austin was first in our group and just held the tarp. He got through security quick, and then ran as fast as he could to the front and threw down the tarp.”
Jasa added that camping out on Tuesday night was worth the effort.
“It’s one of the best experiences I could have in Boston in my entire life,” he said.