KENNY CHESNEY, 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER, MEGHAN TRAINOR AND THE RADIO CITY ROCKETTES TO PERFORM ON NBC'S ANNUAL "MACY'S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR"

'TODAY' Co-Hosts Willie Geist and Tamron Hall Return to Host the Two-Hour Live Telecast (8-10 p.m. ET/PT)

NEW YORK - June 16, 2016 - NBC's annual "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" celebrates the nation's birthday with all-star performances from Kenny Chesney, 5 Seconds of Summer, Meghan Trainor, the Radio City Rockettes and more to be announced. "TODAY" co-hosts Willie Geist and Tamron Hall return to emcee the broadcast airing Monday, July 4 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) with an hourlong encore presentation at 10 p.m.

The 40thannual Macy's 4thof July Fireworks will illuminate the sky over New York City in an unparalleled display of color, shapes, light and sound, from five firing locations on the East River in midtown and within the Seaport district. The 2016 celebration will include more than 56,000 pyrotechnic effects and feature the New York debut of pyro-writing, an explosive version of skywriting created using fireworks that will spell out "USA" in the night sky. The 25 minute synchronized display will be choreographed to a soaring and patriotic score performed by the United States Air Force Band and the one-and-only Jennifer Holliday.

"NBC is thrilled to join Macy's in celebrating the 240th anniversary of our nation," said Doug Vaughan, Executive Vice President, Specials & Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. "We have an amazing lineup of musical performances and guests to join in the festivities that will lead to the biggest fireworks display in the country."

"The 40thanniversary of Macy's 4thof July Fireworks promises to be one for the record books," said Amy Kule, Executive Producer of Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. "Millions of spectators and television viewers will be dazzled by the incredible high-flying effects, colors and shapes igniting the night, making this year the biggest Macy's Fireworks show since our once-in-a lifetime millennial display in 2000."

Eight-time Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney has been described by the Dallas Morning News as "two parts Mick Jagger, one part Bruce Springsteen and one part Billy Graham" for his high-intensity stadium shows. With 28 No. 1's and over 30 million albums sold, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has become the sound of coming of age in the 21st century as No. 1's ranging from "American Kids" to "Young," "I Go Back" to "Wild Child" and "Noise" demonstrate.

Hailed as the "biggest new rock act in the world" by Rolling Stone, 5 Seconds of Summer is the only band (not vocal group) in history to see its first two full-length studio albums enter the Billboard 200 at No. 1. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than 3 million units worldwide, with 1.5 million albums and more than 4.5 million single tracks sold in the U.S. alone. 2015's "Sounds Good Feels Good" charted at No. 1 in 12 countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Their documentary/concert film "How Did We End Up Here? - Live at Wembley Arena" was the highest-selling music DVD of 2015. The band is currently on their "Sounds Live Feels Live" world tour.

Grammy-winning Best New Artist Meghan Trainor released her highly anticipated sophomore album "Thank You" on May 13th, 2016. "Thank You" is the follow up to her double-platinum debut "Title" which bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was one of seven albums to sell a million copies in 2015. The lead single from "Thank You" is the fiery, feisty kiss-off anthem "NO," which is already a platinum-selling hit, reaching No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single "Me Too" impacted radio on May 16th and is currently in the top 10 on the iTunes single chart. Meghan teamed up with producer Ricky Reed who along with Meghan serves as the album's co-executive producer.

"New York Spectacular, Starring The Radio City Rockettes" celebrates New York City in the summertime centered around the trip of a lifetime for two kids, who, while on a vacation in New York, are separated from their parents. The city magically comes to life to help to reunite their family in the end. Led by director and choreographer Mia Michaels, "New York Spectacular" will feature iconic scenery of New York locations and landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Wall Street, Central Park, Times Square and Radio City Music Hall, alongside larger-than-life statues like the Statue of Liberty and the Wall Street bull. "New York Spectacular, Starring The Radio City Rockettes" will run at Radio City Music Hall for eight weeks only from June 15 through Aug. 7, 2016.

Willie Geist is the host of NBC's "Sunday TODAY," co-host of "TODAY's" third hour and co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe." He is also a contributor to a number of NBC News programs, including "Nightly News" and "Meet The Press." Geist also contributes to the NBC Sports Group, where he hosted coverage of the 2012 London Games and 2014 Sochi Games.

Award-winning journalist Tamron Hall is co-host of "TODAY's" third hour and anchor of "MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall," which features interviews and in-depth coverage of U.S., world and political news. She has also hosted several special reports for MSNBC and NBC News and is the host of "Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall" on Investigation Discovery.

The "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" telecast is a production of Universal Television in association with Macy's. It is produced by Brad Lachman Productions with Lachman serving as executive producer. Bill Bracken is producer.

Lachman's credits include a variety of NBC specials, including the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," in addition to the last five years of "Michael Bublé's Christmas Special."

For more information and images from the show please visit the NBC Universal Media Village website at http://www.nbcumv.com

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