VH1 And Palladia To Simulcast The 2013 Philly 4th Of July Jam

NEW YORK, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 and Palladia are celebrating Independence Day with fireworks and four-time Grammy award-winning band, The Roots for the third annual Philly 4^th of July Jam. Kicking off in the City of Brotherly Love, The Philly 4^th of July Jam, a signature event of the Wawa Welcome America! festival, will be simulcast on VH1 and Palladia on Thursday, July 4 from 8-11PM ET and live streamed on VH1.com.  Hometown favorites The Roots, serve as the house band with this year's lineup, including: John Mayer, Jill Scott, Demi Lovato, Ne-Yo, Grace Potter and J. Cole. Capping off the musical event, the evening will include a spectacular fireworks display over the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art.

"We are adding to the Fourth of July holiday for our VH1 viewers with one of the best and biggest concerts of the summer," said Tom Calderone, President, VH1 and Palladia. "We are proud to partner with Shawn Gee and The Roots, an amazing team of creative visionaries and consummate professionals who work with Wawa Welcome America! to create this amazing free show each summer for hundreds of thousands of local residents and visitors. We are looking forward to showcasing the city's musical and historic heritage with music lovers around the entire country."

Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter stated, "We are excited to be at the Philly 4th of July Jam, ­the biggest Independence Day concert around! You can expect a celebration packed with great artists right on the famous Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Where else should you be on the Fourth of July other than Philly?"

"The City of Philadelphia is proud to join with VH1 and Palladia in welcoming an incredibly talented group of musicians to our city this Fourth of July," states Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. "We hope that this year's festival will go down in history as the best yet. We know that Philadelphia is the foremost place to celebrate our nation's birthday, and with this superb lineup of talent, we have an opportunity to prove it to the world."

Billed as the "Largest Free Concert in America," the Philly 4^th of July Jam is a celebration of freedom and music. The Philly 4^th of July Jam is an unforgettable, entertainment-filled night that has featured some of the top artists in the music industry. This is a one-of-a-kind concert, free of cost and fun for all ages, located right in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. With 500,000 people jamming out on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway--- there is no other place to spend the Fourth of July.

The Jam is coordinated by Welcome America, Inc. and its Executive Director Desiree Peterkin-Bell, along with Executive Producers Scott Mirkin and Shawn Gee and produced with Live Nation. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of The Roots serve as musical directors for the Jam. Executive producers for VH1 are Lee Rolontz, Rick Krim and Keshia Williams.

The Philly 4^th of July Jam takes place during Wawa Welcome America!, a multi-day festival that celebrates America's birthday in America's birthplace, Philadelphia.

About VH1
VH1 delivers the ultimate mash-up of music, pop culture and nostalgia for adults who still want to have fun.  VH1 is available in 99 million households in the U.S.  VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile and VH1.com and @VH1, the hub for all things music and pop culture.  VH1 is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.vh1press.com, VH1.com, or the VH1 Facebook page.  Follow us on Twitter @VH1PR.    

About Palladia Palladia, MTV Networks' high-definition music channel, launched in January 2006 and features original music-based programming for a variety of music genres, including hip hop, rock, country, pop, reggaeton, soul and more, as well as HDTV acquisitions and original content from MTV Networks Music Group's MTV, VH1, and CMT family of services.  The channel has grown to 12 million households and is available on major U.S. carriers including Comcast, Cox, Verizon FiOS, Time Warner, Dish, DIRECTV, Charter, AT&T u-Verse and Insight.

About Wawa Welcome America! Wawa Welcome America! is a multi-day festival that celebrates America's birthday in America's birthplace, Philadelphia. In 2013, Welcome America, Inc. is proud to celebrate 20 years as the producer of Philadelphia's Fourth of July festival. For more information, please visit www.welcomeamerica.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wawawelcomeamerica and follow us on Twitter at @July4thPhilly.

About Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation Entertainment is the world's leading live entertainment comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Artist Nation Management and Live Nation Media/Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.

CONTACT: Nyle Washington nyle.washington@vh1.com 212-846-5576

SOURCE VH1