Mary J. Blige to headline Wawa Welcome America

Mary J. Blige to headline Wawa Welcome America 2017 | Getty Images
Getty Images

2017 is really zipping on by. Just this morning the lineup for the 25th annual Wawa Welcome America Concert was announced and Mary J. Blige is the headliner.

Dubbed the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” Blige has nine Grammy Awards and eight multi-platinum albums, selling 50 million albums worldwide. In the female R&B genre, only Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston have sold more albums.

Treasured Philly music group, Boyz II Men, will also be honored. Known for smooth, r&b ballads and flawless vocal harmonies, their hits include “End of the Road” and  “On Bended Knee” amongst many others. They’ve sold 64 million albums in their career so far.

Other performances include The Philly Pops Big Band with Mandy Gonzalez of “Hamilton” and Billboard Top 10 Jazz Artist Tony DeSare. 

The Wawa Welcome America Concert is a much-loved Philadelphia tradition on July 4th. This year’s theme for the 25th anniversary is “Everyone is a History Maker.”

“Each of these artists are history makers in their own right,” says Mayor Jim F. Kenney, Chairman of Welcome America, Inc. “We are thrilled to welcome them back to Philadelphia and to be able to host a free concert that all Philadelphians can enjoy.”

Beginning at 7 p.m., the event is free and open to the public. The fireworks display begins earlier this year at 9:30 p.m.

For more information, visit: welcomeamerica.com.