A packed house danced in the streets to the bouncy beat Sunday night after a night honoring Dead and other recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Artistic Achievement: Director Francis Ford Coppola, Jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and singer-songwriter Bonnie Wright. The venerable Harlem Theater Apollowho launched generations of black artists, was also recognized.
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Longtime Deadheads, including actors Miles Taylor and Chloe Sevigny and talk show host David Letterman, paid tribute to the band’s musical experimentation, longevity and community building. “Their music fills the universe,” Letterman declared.
The choice to honor the Apollo was an unusual one: the first time the Kennedy Center has chosen to honor a specific performance venue.
“Apollo means so much to so many of us,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said as he walked the red carpet. Moore points to famous Apollo performances by Lauryn Hill and a young Michael Jackson as treasured memories of her youth.
Tributes to The Apollo highlight the sheer diversity of art forms at the 90-year-old theatre. Seven Glover performed a spirited tap dance routine. Husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a medley of Marvin Gaye and Timmy Terrell hits. And comedian Dave Chappelle recounts his terrifying first Apollo performance at age 15.
“Everybody started freaking out. It was like I was looking out of my body,” he said. Chappelle was eventually carried off the stage by the theater’s infamous “sandman,” but he credits the experience with helping him overcome his fear of bombing.
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gave Annual event The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts always offers personalized tributes with performances and accolades from fellow artists. The medals were presented during a traditional ceremony Saturday night at the State Department.
In the first part of the night’s tribute, Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews performed a cover of Wright’s duet with the late John Prine, “Angel From Montgomery.”
Music star Sheryl Crow paid tribute to Wright’s illustrious career not just as a singer or songwriter, but as a widely respected blues guitarist in a male-dominated field.
“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 shortly after seeing Wright in concert.
Wright himself, on the red carpet before the event, predicted an emotional evening.
“I brought a big box of Kleenex and my waterproof eyeliner,” she laughs.
Coppola received an overflowing tribute from past Kennedy Center honorees, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and George Lucas. All described an iconic and driven writer who loved to nurture and support young filmmakers.
“What Francis does creatively is jump off cliffs,” Lucas said. “When you spend enough time with Francis, you start to believe you can jump off cliffs.”
The Sandoval tribute featured several performances by an all-star band including trombone Shorty and pianist Chocho Valdez from Sandoval’s original band, as well as a flamenco dance performance by Timo Nunez. It also featured a light-hearted comedy by actor Andy Garcia.
“Arturo spoke very little English when he came to America from Cuba all those years ago,” Garcia said. “But now his English is very bad.”
Tributes are often kept secret from the recipients themselves, most notably in 2018 when Cyndi Lauper lied to her longtime friend Cher about not attending. Lauper appeared on stage to perform Cher’s hit, “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
Before attending the awards ceremony himself, President Biden praised each honoree at a ceremony at the White House. He also had De Niro, who was in the audience, standing up before announcing, “If I get in trouble, I’m coming to you.”
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De Niro smiled and nodded and others in the audience, including honorees, laughed at what was a reference to De Niro sometimes playing tough enforcers in movies like “The Godfather.” But what Biden actually meant was that he might seek the actor’s help for career advice after the presidency.
“Things are not looking good for February,” Biden joked.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received a standing ovation from the audience as they were introduced at the Kennedy Center. But this may be the last honors ceremony without political intrigue for a while.
During Donald Trump’s first four years in office, Kennedy Center officials were forced to navigate the tradition of attending the president’s event and the open hostility toward Trump from several dignitaries. In 2017, recipient Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own event if Trump attended. Trump, who took office in January, skipped the event for his first term.
On the red carpet Sunday night, several Democratic political figures were seen offering olive branches.
“I hope he comes,” Moore said. “It’s a wonderful celebration of genius in all its forms.”
“I think he’s going to really enjoy it,” added former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS and Paramount+ on December 22 at 8:30pm Eastern with Queen Latifah. The show will be live and on-demand with Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers or on-demand with Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs.