Bonnie Raitt & Grateful Dead celebrated as Kennedy Center Honorees in Washington

L-R Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann, Bobby Weir, and Mickey Hart/Photo credit Ron Sachs/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bonnie Raitt and the Grateful Dead were celebrated as recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday in Washington, D.C., with Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Brandie Carlile and more on hand to honor them, Billboard reports.

Raitt was in attendance as Julia Louis-Dreyfus shared her thoughts on the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, noting, “You know it’s Bonnie. It’s all red hair and no bulls***.”

Performances in Raitt’s honor included Crow and Carlile on “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” Matthews and Emmy Lou Harris on the John Prine-penned track “Angel From Montgomery,” and Jackson Browne, Crow, James Taylor and Arnold McCuller on “Nick of Time.”

Grateful Dead’s three surviving members, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bobby Weir, were also in attendance and were feted with a tribute that featured Grahame Lesh, son of late Dead bassist Phil LeshDon Was and Sturgill Simpson backing Matthews, Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges and Susan Tedeschi on such songs as “Fire on the Mountain,” “Sugaree” and “Not Fade Away.” 

Highlights from Sunday's ceremony will air Dec. 22 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

Monday, December 9, 2024 at 10:25AM by Jill Lances Permalink