Major U.S. cities are finalising logistics, line-ups and security for Independence Day celebrations expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators on Friday. In Boston, the 51st Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will begin an hour earlier than usual, with the concert at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9:40 p.m. on the Charles River Esplanade. Country singer LeAnn Rimes will headline alongside Leslie Odom Jr. and Bell Biv DeVoe, while Keith Lockhart conducts for his 30th consecutive year. Massachusetts State Police say a ‘multilayered’ security plan will include uniformed and plainclothes troopers, K-9, air and marine units, and restrictions on bags, glass and drones. Houston expects about 50,000 people for its six-hour “Shell Freedom Over Texas” festival along Allen Parkway. Gates open at 4 p.m. with performances capped by Lee Brice and guest Ashley McBryde before a 9:30 p.m. pyrotechnic finale. Admission is $10, and a portion of concession sales will benefit the Houston Food Bank. Baltimore will stage a 9 p.m. fireworks display over the Inner Harbor and a separate 9:30 p.m. drone show at the Cherry Hill Arts & Music Waterfront Festival. Local firm Image Engineering, which is handling the pyrotechnics, said most inventory arrived before the April tariff on Chinese goods and that this year’s budget is unchanged.