“Not Fade Away” was discontinued Kennedy Center Honors At this year’s ceremony, honorees such as The Thankful Dead took on the song from Good Friend Holly, to match the number of concerts over time.
A packed house danced to the bouncy tunes on Sunday night at an evening honoring defunct and alternative recipients of the Lifetime Success Award for Creative Achievement: Director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz trumpeter arturo sandoval and singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt. venerable harlem theater ApolloThe one that has presented generations of lightless artists was also known at one time.
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Longtime Deadheads joined actors Miles Teller and Chloë Sevigny and Communication Show host David Letterman to pay tribute to the band’s blend of musical experimentation, longevity and community-building. Letterman declared, “His music fills the universe.”
The decision to honor the Apollo was strange: it was the first year that the Kennedy Center had chosen to honor a particular performance venue.
“Apollo means a lot to many of us,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said of the era’s arrival on the pink carpet. Moore points to Lauryn Hill’s iconic Apollo performance and the gentle Michael Jackson as precious memories of her formative years.
The tribute to The Apollo highlighted the vast variety of artistic techniques displayed in the 90-year-old theatre. Savion Glover performed a spirited tap dance; Husband-and-wife duo The Conflict & Treaty performed a medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; And comedian Dave Chappelle described his terrifying first Apollo efficiency at speed 15.
“Everyone started screaming. It felt like I was standing outside my body and watching,” he said. One day Chappelle was thrown off stage during the theater’s infamous “Sandman”, but he credited the experience with helping him overcome his fear of bombings.
Ron Sachs/CNP/Bloomberg using Getty Pictures
annual festival The John F. Kennedy Center for the Acting Arts always features personal tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists. The medals are presented during the usual Saturday night ceremony in the surrounding area.
In the first tribute of the night, Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews performed Raitt’s duet with the late John Prine, “Angel from Montgomery”.
Song superstar Sheryl Crow paid tribute to Raitt’s pioneering vocation not only as a singer or songwriter but also as a widely respected blues guitarist in a male-dominated farm.
“I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if I hadn’t seen him perform when I was 17,” said Crowe, who bought his first guitar after hearing Ritt perform briefly at a live performance.
Raitt herself predicted an emotional night on the pink carpet ahead of the event.
“I brought a big box of Kleenex and my waterproof eyeliner,” she laughed.
Coppola won a tribute filled with past Kennedy Middle honorees, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and George Lucas. All described an iconoclastic and inspired writer who loved to nurture and help more young filmmakers.
Lucas noted, “What Francis does creatively is jump off cliffs.” “When you spend enough time with Francis, you start to believe you can jump off cliffs.”
Sandoval’s tribute included some performances from an all-star band, including trombone Shorty and pianist Chucho Valdez from Sandoval’s new band, as well as a flamenco dance performance by Timo Núñez. It also included some bright roast comedy from actor Andy Garcia.
Garcia noted, “When Arturo first came to America from Cuba all those years ago he spoke very little English.” “But now his English… is very bad.”
Tribute performances are often kept anonymous from the recipients themselves, most notably in 2018 when Cyndi Lauper lied to her longtime friend Cher about not being able to wait. Lauper brought level-up impact to Cher’s struggle to complete “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
At a ceremony in White Area before attending the awards ceremony, President Biden praised each honoree. He also called De Niro, who was a target at one point, saying, “If I get in trouble, I’ll come to you, buddy.”
Manuel Balse Seneta/AP
De Niro smiled and nodded and others in attendance, along with the honorees, laughed at the fact that De Niro sometimes plays tough enforcers in movies like “The Godfather.” Although Biden actually believed he could turn to the actor for advice in his post-presidency.
“Things are not looking good for February,” Biden joked.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris won a prolonged standing ovation from the target market when they were introduced at Kennedy Middle. However, this may be the end of the ceremony without political intrigue for an era.
During Donald Trump’s first four years in office, Kennedy Center officials were forced to maintain crowds amid the tradition of the president attending the ceremony and some honorees’ observable dislike of Trump. In 2017, recipient Norman Lear threatened to boycott his personal rites if Trump attended. Trump, who took office in January, did not attend the ceremony during his first term.
On the pink carpet Sunday night, some Democratic political figures looked like it would be business in the olive grove.
“I hope he comes,” Moore noted. “It’s a wonderful celebration of talent in all its forms.”
Former Area Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “I think he’ll really enjoy it.”
The Forty-seventh Annual Kennedy Middle Honors will air on December 22 at 8:30 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+ with host Queen Latifah. The screening will be live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers or on-demand for Paramount+ critical subscribers the month following the special’s broadcast.
