Not Fade Away: Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt and More Receive Kennedy Center Honor 

Photo credit: Dean Budnick

On Sunday night, Dec. 8, President Joe Biden hosted the 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The occasion, a testament to the rich history of art and culture, celebrated the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Francis Ford Coppola, and others for their significant influence on the evolution of creative expression through music, film, and other media. 

Members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart represented the Grateful Dead. Grahame Lesh attended on behalf of his father, Phil Lesh, who passed away in October at age 84. Also in attendance was Trixie, daughter of the late Jerry Garcia. 

Before the formal occasion, which pulled in live performance through a mix of homages that paid tribute to the honorees, the Dead, and beyond, Biden spoke to the San Francisco jamband’s brazen influence in the East Room of the White House. 

“In the San Francisco Bay at an inflection point in history, the Grateful Dead have long since transcended 1960s counterculture,” Biden said as he addressed the night’s guests and honorees. “Technical virtuosos fiercely dedicated to their craft, they fused decades and dozens of musical styles to create a whole new American sound. Experimental, innovative, and brave.”

“Their lyrics tell the story of dreamers and rebels, by iconic jams or just a performance, they’re not just that they’re an ongoing conversation with generations of ‘Doo-Dah’ fans with hundreds and hundreds of songs,” he imparted. “23,000 concerts from Woodstock to Egypt’s great pyramids. One of the most popular bands ever to be watched live in concert.”

To uniquely honor the recipients, specialty house bands were created to support the musical aspect of the event. Don Was, Terence Higgins, Kendrick Scott, Rick Mitarotonda, Sturgill Simpson, Jeff Chimenti and Grahame Lesh served as stewards of the Grateful Dead’s songs. 

The artists above welcomed help from Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges during the onset of the Dead’s musical appreciation segment. The pair transformed “Friend of the Devil” from traditional folky roots to ballad status, with Rogers’ soulful voice and Bridges’ smooth delivery.

Next, a house band member, Simpson, stepped forward to take the lead on “Ripple.” Hitting on the heartfelt nature of the number, Grahame paid homage to his dad by guiding select lyrics–and Garcia, through video, added his song-filled salutation. 

From one fan favorite to the next, the house band welcomed assistance from jam-world greats Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Dave Matthews for the ensuing song, “Sugaree.” 

During Latifah’s introduction, she mentioned the longstanding Grateful Dead tradition of closing their live performance with their enduring legacy anthem, “Not Fade Away.” Touching on setlist history, the house band and their guests, Tedeschi, Trucks, and Matthews, were joined by dancing Miles Teller and Chloë Sevigny for a proper salute to the band’s infectious music and free-spirited ethos. 

David Letterman also appeared, playing into the stoned hippie role–with apologies to Biden–and sharing the iconic comedic clip of the late-night talk show host teaching Garcia to play “Proud Mary” circa 1982.

The night also featured a similar treatment of Raitt’s music, co-opted by a different house band and added pillars of musical help: Dave Matthews and Emmy Lou Harris performed “Angels from Montgomery,” Keb’ Mo’ and Tedeschi played “Walking Blues,” Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow shared duties on “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” before James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Aronard McCuller and Crow played “Nick of Time.” 

Jazz trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval was also one of the night’s recipients. For his tribute, artists like Trombone Shorty, Cimafunk, and Chris Bode leaned into funk, jazz, and Afro-Cuban, playing alongside flamenco dancing to truly celebrate range of his the craft. 

Following the event, Kreutzmann marked the occasion on Instagram, sharing a photo and writing, “Setbreaks are weird. Glad I snuck in my vape. But what an incredible night so far…truly special.” See below. 

The 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 8:30 p.m. ET and steamed on Paramount Plus.