The W.D. Packard Concert Band’s Fourth of July Spectacular will start with a debut and end with a bang.

Opening for the Packard band for its annual Fourth of July performance will be the first public show by Brass Express. The group is an offshoot of Brass Metropolis, which disbanded earlier this year.

“Some of the people didn’t want to do it anymore,” singer Doug Thomas said. “When one domino fell, others followed. But many of us wanted to keep doing something because we thought it was worthwhile, and hence we got Brass Express.”

While Brass Metropolis focused exclusively on the music of the band Chicago, Express expands the repertoire to include the music of two other horn-driven bands, Tower of Power and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The new lineup influenced the musical additions.

“We found a singer named Nate Simpson who is an amazing singer, and he can really do the Tower of Power stuff and the super high tenor parts,” Thomas said. “And I had always had an affinity for David Clayton Thomas (lead singer of BS&T) and his legacy, so I wanted to incorporate that into the show as well.”

In addition to Thomas and Simpson, Brass Express features Dom Reto, keyboards; Tim Graziano, bass; Garrett Fry, guitar; Sammy Mazzupappa, drums; Dan Carioti, sax and flute; Lou Pisani, trumpet and flugelhorn; and Ryan Smith, trombone.

The band’s opening set, at 5 p.m. Friday, will feature songs from all three acts.

“The show starts out with Blood, Sweat & Tears, some real kickers,” Thomas said. “Then we introduce Nate, who comes in and does his part of the show, which is a lot of the Tower of Power stuff. And then the hour set will finish up with Nate and I doing the Terry Kath and Peter Cetera parts of the Chicago tunes.”

The W.D. Packard Concert Band, conducted by Galen S. Karriker, will start its portion of the program at 8 p.m. Friday.

Frequent guest vocalist Helen Welch will perform such standards as “Strike Up the Band,” “What a Wonderful World,” “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart,” “That’s All” and “On a Wonderful Day Like Today” as well as a song she wrote called “Wheels of Time.”

Thomas also will perform with the Packard band, singing a gospel arrangement of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” that will include Lou Pisani, trumpet, and Jim Garber, piano. Thomas will sing the patriotic favorite “God Bless the USA” right before the show’s finale, John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” march.

Packard Executive Director Thomas A. Groth, who will serve as moderator for the program, said the holiday program is one of his favorites to assemble.

“It’s always good to put together the Fourth of July concerts,” Groth said. “It includes patriotic music and some lighter music that the audience loves. Plus they love Helen’s singing and, of course, Doug Thomas doing that gospel version of ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA.’ It was just a pleasure to put the whole program together.”

One of Groth’s favorites is Ryan Nowlin’s “Let Freedom Ring.”

“I like anything that Ryan Nowlin writes,” Groth said. “He was our second commission, and now he’s the conductor of the United States Marine Band, the President’s Own. So I’ve known him since he was in college and anything he writes, I really like.

“Then there’s also ‘Birdland’ (written by Joe Zawinul). That’s a great jazz-rock tune, and there’ll be solos on that within the band.”

Other selections will include David DeBoor Canfield’s “America” fanfare, Thomas Knox’s “American Pageant,” Helen May Butler’s “Cosmopolitan America” march, Cecil Macklin’s “Tres Moutarde,” John O’Neil’s “The Fourth of July Polka,” music from the movie “The Wizard of Oz” and a salute to the U.S. Armed Forces.

Following the concert will be a fireworks display created by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale.

Admission is free, and refreshments will be available for purchase from the National Packard Museum.

Funding for both the concert and the fireworks display comes from the W.D. Packard trust.

If you go …

WHAT: Fourth of July Spectacular — W.D. Packard Concert Band with Galen S. Karriker, conductor; Doug Thomas and Helen Welch, vocalists; Lou Pisani, trumpet; and Jim Garber, piano, preceded by Brass Express and followed by fireworks

WHEN: Brass Express starts at 5 p.m. Friday, and the Packard band will perform at 8 p.m.

WHERE: South lawn bandshell at Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave NW, Warren

HOW MUCH: Admission is free, and funding for the concert and fireworks display is provided by the W.D. Packard trust.