WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� 鈥淣ot Fade Away鈥� closed out the Kennedy Center Honors at this year's ceremony, just as honorees The Grateful Dead had used Buddy Holly鈥檚 ode to enduring love to close out hundreds of concerts over the years.
The packed house Sunday night danced in the aisles to the bouncy beat after a night of honoring the Dead and other recipients of the lifetime achievement award for artistic accomplishment: director jazz trumpeter and singer-songwriter The venerable Harlem theater , which has launched generations of Black artists, also was recognized.
Longtime Deadheads, including actors Miles Teller and Chloe Sevigny and talk show host David Letterman, paid tribute to the band's blend of musical experimentation, longevity and community-building. 鈥淭heir music fills the universe,鈥� Letterman proclaimed.
The choice to honor The Apollo was an unusual one: the first time the Kennedy Center has chosen to honor a specific performance venue.
鈥淭he Apollo means so much to so many of us," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said while arriving on the red carpet. Moore pointed to iconic Apollo performances from Lauryn Hill and a young Michael Jackson as treasured memories of his youth.
The tribute to The Apollo highlighted the sheer diversity of art forms showcased at the 90-year-old theater. Savion Glover did a spirited tap dance routine; husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; and comedian Dave Chappelle recounted his terrifying first Apollo performance at age 15.
鈥淓verybody started booing. It was like I was outside my body watching,鈥� he said. Eventually Chappelle was rushed off the stage by the theater's infamous 鈥淪andman,鈥� but he credited the experience with helping him overcome his fear of bombing.
The annual gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts always features personalized tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists. Medallions were presented during the traditional Saturday night ceremony at the State Department.
In the first of the night鈥檚 tributes, Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews performed a cover of Raitt鈥檚 duet with the late John Prine, 鈥淎ngel from Montgomery.鈥�
Music star Sheryl Crow paid tribute to Raitt's trailblazing career as not just a singer or songwriter but as a widely respected blues guitarist in a male-dominated field.
鈥淚 would not be doing what I'm doing if I had not seen her perform as a 17-year old,鈥� said Crow, who bought her first guitar shortly after seeing Raitt in concert.
Raitt herself, on the pre-event red carpet, predicted an emotional evening.
鈥淚've brought a massive box of Kleenex and my waterproof eye liner,鈥� she laughed.
Coppola received a tribute filled with previous Kennedy Center honorees, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and George Lucas. All described an iconoclastic and driven auteur who loved to nurture and support younger filmmakers.
鈥淲hat Francis does creatively is jump off cliffs,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淲hen you spend enough time with Francis, you begin to believe you can jump off cliffs, too.鈥�
Sandoval's tribute featured multiple performances from an all-star band featuring Trombone Shorty and pianist Chucho Valdez from Sandoval's original band, plus a flamenco dance performance by Timo Nunez. It also included a bit of light roast comedy from actor Andy Garcia.
鈥淎rturo spoke very little English when he first came to America from Cuba all those years ago,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淏ut now his English ... is much worse.鈥�
The tribute performances are often kept secret from the recipients themselves, most notably in 2018 when Cyndi Lauper to her longtime friend Cher about being unable to attend. Lauper appeared on stage to perform Cher's hit, 鈥淚f I Could Turn Back Time.鈥�
At a ceremony at the White House before attending the awards event itself, President Joe Biden praised each honoree. He also had De Niro, who was in the audience, stand before declaring, 鈥淚f I get in trouble, I鈥檓 coming to you pal.鈥�
De Niro grinned and nodded and others in attendance, including the honorees, laughed at what appeared to be a reference to De Niro sometimes playing hardnosed enforcers in movies like 鈥淭he Godfather.鈥� But Biden actually meant he might seek the actor鈥檚 help for post-presidency career advice.
鈥淭hings are not looking good for February,鈥� Biden joked.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received an extended standing ovation from the audience when introduced at Kennedy Center. But this could 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 walk a public tightrope between the tradition of the president attending the ceremony and the open antipathy toward Trump from multiple honorees. In 2017, recipient Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump, who takes office in January, skipped the ceremony for the entirety of his first term.
On the red carpet Sunday night, multiple Democratic political figures seemed to offer an olive branch.
鈥淚 hope he does come,鈥� Moore said. "This is a wonderful celebration of genius in all its forms."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added, 鈥淚 think he would really enjoy it.鈥�
The awards show will air on CBS on Dec. 22.
Ashraf Khalil And Will Weissert, The Associated Press
