This year will be the first time in decades that I’m not watching the Kennedy Center Honors. It’s something I got hooked on when I lived in the D.C. area and couldn’t afford cable, so I mostly watched PBS and the occasional network show. I feel a special connection to the Kennedy Center Honors because they debuted the same year that I did: 1978.

Composer Leonard Bernstein hosted the first ceremony in 1978, which honored singer Marian Anderson, dancer Fred Astaire, choreographer George Balanchine, composer Richard Rodgers, and pianist Arthur Rubinstein. That’s quite the different array from the artists recognized last year: Bonnie Raitt, Grateful Dead, Apollo Theater, Francis Ford Coppola and Arturo Sandoval, and the ones recognized this year: Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Clint Black and KISS.

The wit of the hosts and presenters, the performances by the artists’ protégés and admirers, and the appreciation of those in attendance is something that alternatively made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. The fact that every president (except one) and numerous elected officials attended this non-partisan event to honor artists was astounding to me.

Showing appreciation and gratitude for the arts is an artform in and of itself. Throughout these shows and over the past 47 years, you’ve see thousands in the audience singing along and dancing in their seats to the songs, or mouthing along the words to a monologue in a movie. It’s easier for me to point out the musicians because the performances translate to the stage so well, but you should definitely check out the tributes to the actors, actresses, producers, directors and dancers in addition to the musicians I’ve listed below. In fact, I did include an actress, Shirley MacLaine, in the artists I have picked below!

The Kennedy Center Honors and The Gershwin Prize, awarded by the Library of Congress, kept my spirits up throughout the pandemic through the recorded performances on YouTube and their respective websites. I hope this retrospective of my favorite Kennedy Center Honors performances brings the same joy to you as it has done for me:

10. Bonnie Raitt

When emcee Julia Louis Dreyfuss introduces Dave Matthews and Emmy Lou Harris will be performing “Angel from Montgomery” you can hear Raitt exclaim “WHAT???”. I had the same reaction myself. I never would have put these two brilliant musicians together on stage, but it worked so well. Dreyfuss also highlights the activism that Raitt brings into her music and realizes in real life as well, while embracing her individualism and artistic license.

I think the thing I love most about Raitt’s tribute is the grouping of the musicians brought together on stage:

Dave Matthews & Emmy Lou Harris – “Angel from Montgomery”
Brandi Carlile & Sheryl Crow – “I Can’t Make You Love Me”
Keb’ Mo’ & Susan Tedeschi – “Walkin’ Blues”
Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Jackson Browne & Arnold McCuller – “Nick Of Time”

It’s pure magic. Watch last year’s segment for Bonnie Raitt here:

9. Paul McCartney 

Alec Baldwin roasted Paul McCartney about his humble beginnings in this little band called The Beatles (and even the bands that preceded The Beatles!) and his musical endeavours afterwards. The audience was wowed by performances from these artists:

No Doubt – “Hello Goodbye”, “Penny Lane”
Norah Jones & Dave Grohl – “Maybe I’m Amazed”
Steven Tyler – “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”, “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight”, “The End”
James Taylor & Mavis Staples – “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude”

8. Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn was one of the many country artists whose albums I inherited from my grandfather and father, so I was very excited to see the performances that honored her music and legacy. The Honky Tonk Girl and Coal Miner’s Daughter was feted by Sissy Spacek, who played Lynn in the Coal Miner’s Daughter movie, and former president George H.W. Bush with a spoken tribute while also roasting the lack of musical talent from the Bush family. Performers included Reba McEntire (“You’re Lookin’ at Country”), Lyle Lovett (“Rated X”), Patty Loveless (“Coal Miner’s Daughter”), Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”). While the show ended with the song that Lynn is best known for, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, I felt like the energy from Garth and Trisha singing “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” would have closed out the show on a stronger note.

This clip of the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors includes the introduction that Caroline Kennedy gave for a decade from 2003 to 2012.

7. Carole King

The cast of the Broadway show “Beautiful” told Carole King’s story; if you haven’t seen the show on stage, please do! I saw it in 2022 at The Fox Theatre, and really pulled me into the Carole King song-iverse (Is that a word? It is now). The 2015 Kennedy Center tribute is done so well given that they had this Broadway musical to use as a framework.

Janelle Monáe kicked off the performances with “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “One Fine Day” which I didn’t even know King wrote until I saw the “Beautiful” musical. James Taylor sings “Up on the Roof” which became a hit song for The Drifters in 1962. Sara Bareilles sang “You’ve Got a Friend” while playing the piano as she does so well. Fun tidbit: I saw Sara Bareilles in her final stage performance in Waitress on Broadway in 2019.

My favorite part of the Carole King tribute is definitely Aretha Franklin singing King’s classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”. You can feel Aretha’s passion as she throws off her fur coat to belt out the song that King herself recorded for her 1971 album “Tapestry”. You can see the joy and awe in King’s face as Aretha performs.

The entire show ends with “I Feel the Earth Move” sung by all of the Carole King performers, with backup from the others who paid tribute to George Lucas, Rita Moreno, Seiji Ozawa and Cicely Tyson. It’s pretty cool to see Storm Troopers and C3PO dancing along with the rest of the audience to a Carole King classic! If you’ve never explored Carole King’s songbook, watching this recording is a good start.

6. Shirley MacLaine 

The only actress on the list, but oh what an actress she has been! Her stage performances are what got her onto this list. During the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors, Shirley MacLaine was feted by Kathy Bates, with Broadway performances from Sutton Foster, Patina Miller, Anna Kendrick and Karen Olivo. While she is remembered most for her dramatic performances in The Apartment (one of my all-time favorite movies), Terms of Endearment and Postcards from the Edge, and comedic turns in Steel Magnolias and Shirley MacLaine got her start on the stage though, and that’s what I loved most about her tribute. The Broadway tributes were from The Pajama Game, Sweet Charity (Patina Miller and Sutton Foster), Irma La Douce (Karen Olivo), “It’s Not Where You Start” (Anna Kendrick) and an original song performed by all four singers and dancers.

I mean, Shirley MacLaine has been going strong in the last 15 years, including guest star roles in the Downton Abbey series, Glee, and The Only Murders in the Building — at 89 years old! The passion and exuberance she gives in every performance, whether on television, in the movies, or on stage, could be seen in the tribute during the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors.

5. Garth Brooks

The pandemic couldn’t stop the amazing performances that paid tribute to Garth Brooks. The show was delayed until May 2021, and broadcast the next month; the performances took place in a variety of venues on the Kennedy Center campus including the Opera House, Grand Foyer and outdoor plaza, but the regular full audience couldn’t be present. However, artful editing and the spoken word tributes from Bradley Cooper, John Travolta and Wayne Gretzy helped to fill in the gaps.

Kelly Clarkson began with a beautiful rendition of “The Dance”, followed by James Taylor on guitar with “The River”, and then Jimmie Allen with “Thunder Rolls” and “Friends in Low Places”. Even without the full audience, you could feel everyone’s joy at singing the karaoke favorite in tribute to Garth Brooks. Gladys Knight closed out the show with one of my favorite Garth Brooks songs, “We Shall Be Free”. Seeing Garth’s reaction is 100% worth the watch. This is one show I would have loved to have seen in a fully-packed Kennedy Center as Garth Brooks deserved, but he was a great sport in receiving the honors during that difficult year. If it were a normal year, this would definitely be ranked higher.

4. Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt is one of those musicians whom I grew up listening to thanks to my dad’s wonderful musical choices, but I didn’t learn to appreciate until I was an adult. I would hear the songs in my 30s, and know that I liked them, and then in my 40s, actively started looking for her record albums and adding her songs to playlists. Her 2019 Kennedy Center Honors was introduced by Don Henley, whose band the Eagles earned their Kennedy Center Honors in 2016, but wouldn’t have existed without Linda Ronstadt bringing Henley and Glenn Frey together as her bandmates when she was touring solo. Her performances with Emmy Lou Harris and Dolly Parton as The Trio familiarized me to harmonized vocals, and then her collaboration with Nelson Riddle introduced me to Gershwin classics.

Carrie Underwood wowed the crowd with “Blue Bayou” and “When Will I Be Loved”, followed by tributes from Kevin Kline, whom she performed with on stage in The Pirates of Penzance, and Emmy Lou Harris. Ronstadt’s Mexican roots were explored with a mariachi song, “La Cigarra” from Flor de Toloache. Trisha Yearwood closed out the show with “You’re No Good” and was joined on stage by Aaron Neville to perform the duet “Don’t Know Much”. This last song, and the duets with Ronstadt and Neville are the songs where I learned to appreciate music and amazing artists on my own without guidance from adults.

Another thing I love about Linda Ronstadt is the wide variety of genres where she exceled: rock, pop, gospel, country, mariachi, folk, soul, choral, American songbook, opera, and R&B. It breaks my heart that I never got to see her perform live, and it was even more sad to see how much Parkinson’s has affected her once powerful presence and taken her voice from us.

3. Neil Diamond 

Neil Diamond is right there with Linda Ronstadt in my personal Hall of Fame and Mount Rushmore of entertainers. He is one of those quintessential singer-songwriters who defined the American songbook. I grew up listening to America, Love on the Rocks, Song Sung Blue, Holly Holy, Cracklin’ Rosie, and of course, Sweet Caroline. During the 2011 tribute, Diamond’s songs are performed by Raphael Saadiq (Cherry, Cherry), Jennifer Nettles (Hello Again), Lionel Richie (I Am, I Said), with Smokey Robinson closing out with Sweet Caroline. Would you end a tribute to Neil Diamond any other way?

I love that Lionel Richie included his own background in I Am, I Said (Tuskegee, Alabama), and that the producers of the show brought in a grandstand full of Red Sox fans to sing “so good, so good, so good” towards the end of Sweet Caroline. Then to bring out the inspiration for the title, Caroline Kennedy? I mean, this song and show were meant for that moment. The audience dancing in their seats throughout the Neil Diamond portion of the show, and then all standing and singing along to Sweet Caroline at the end define what Neil Diamond means to American music.

Scroll to the 52:10 mark to watch the Neil Diamond portion, with John Lithgow hosting. Or, you can watch the tributes to Meryl Streep, Barbara Cook, Sonny Rollins and Yo-Yo Ma which were also captivating.

Also, if you’re a Neil Diamond fan, check out the review I wrote for the movie Song Sung Blue, which you should definitely see!

2. Dolly Parton

I couldn’t think of a more appropriate cast to pay tribute to Dolly Parton than Reba McEntire and Reese Witherspoon, Shania Twain and Kenny Rogers. The 2006 Kennedy Center Honors did a wonderful job of honoring the American songwriter, singer, actor, philanthropist, and one of the most genuine people in the world. She has transcended country music to sing across genres and make the transition to movie classics like Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5. Reba and Reese got plenty of laughs with their tributes to “The Queen of Country”.

Carrie Underwood began the musical tributes with “Islands in the Stream” and was joined by Kenny Rogers after the first verse. Allison Krause followed with “Jolene”, backed up by Suzanne Cox and Sheryl White, and Shania Twain with a soulful rendition of “Coat of Many Colors” on her guitar, with backup vocals by Allison Krause. Allison Krause as a backup singer?? WHAT??

Vince Gill closed out the show with “I Will Always Love You”. Amazing voices like Allison Krause, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill were the best way to pay tribute to a legendary performer and person like Dolly Parton.

1. Led Zeppelin

Every one of these performances wowed me when I watched KHC in 2012. From Jack Black’s introduction to iconic performances courtesy of The Foo Fighters (“Rock and Roll”) to Kid Rock (“Ramble On”) and Lenny Kravitz (“Whole Lotta Love”) wowed. But the closing performance by Heart was the single most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in all of my years of watching the Kennedy Center Honors.

Heart’s performance of “Stairway To Heaven” is what introduced me to Kennedy Center performances on YouTube in . Before that, I relied solely on memories of watching on TV. With Jason Bonham on drums where his father, John Bonham would have been, Ann Wilson on vocals and her sister Nancy on guitar, the performance is electric. Seeing tears form in Jimmy Page’s eyes, and Robert Plant and John Paul Jones nodding in appreciation, and everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Diana Ross and the Obamas rocking out in the audience, you know that Heart hit it out of the park.

Individual Performances

Now, it was hard to choose from 47 years of performances when every year there are five honorees, and anywhere from three to five artists honor each of those guests. I had a hard time choosing 10 performances because there were so many individual performances that stuck out in my mind. These are some of my favorite individual performances from the Kennedy Center Honors:

Jennifer Nettles Fetes Bruce Springsteen

I think President Obama said it best, “I may be the President, but he’s The Boss” and fellow Georgia native Jennifer Nettles rocks out in her “Glory Days” to the Springsteen classic before being joined by Ben Harper in a duet of “I’m On Fire”. This was the first Kennedy Center Honors of President Obama’s two terms.

Cyndi Lauper Honoring Cher

I love this one because you can obviously see how close the two are.

When Cher sees Lauper walk onstage, she yells out: “You told me you were going to L.A.” and Lauper yells back “I lied” before she belts out “If I Could Turn Back Time.” In no time at all, she has the audience on their feet and jamming out to what I consider a contemporary classic… I say “contemporary” because it came out when I was a preteen, and classic because I heard it on an oldies station last week.

Beyonce Keep On Turnin’ for Tina Turner

Oprah Winfrey got to introduce her hero and inspiration in Tina Turner. What an honor that must have been! You can feel the admiration as soon as she begins talking about her. While Queen Latifah, Al Green and Melissa Etheridge shone in their performances, Beyonce stole the show though at just 24 years old with her rendition of “Proud Mary”. If anyone could bring the same fire and passion to “Proud Mary” that Tina Turner could, it was Beyonce.

I was sticking mostly to musicians, but this is just based on the music, genres, and artists that I have enjoyed in my 47 years, so your tastes and choices will be different than mine. What are some of your favorite performances?

I don’t know if and when the Kennedy Center Honors will return to what we knew for 47 years, but when that happens, I will have a newfound appreciation for what I consider one of our country’s greatest traditions and ways to honor artists. I hope that the iconic rainbow ribbon and the medallion crafted by the Baturin family since 1978 return, along with the dignity and respect that the Kennedy Center and its honorees deserve.

In the meantime, enjoy this review of this year’s ceremony from Nicole Hertvick, the Editor-in-Chief of D.C. Theater Arts. Also, check out the typo in the press release from The Kennedy Center (I’m still calling it that, and I still say Department of Defense and Gulf of Mexico) announcing that Tiffany & Co will design the new medallion in 2025. Kennedy is misspelled. Even better: it is visible in the Google search snippet!