ANNOUNCER: From the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C.,
our national cultural center,
the Kennedy Center Honors
recognizes the lifetime achievements
of five treasured performers.
("Fame" playing)
You want to become a dancer?
You're going to have to work.
ANNOUNCER: Acclaimed producer,
director, writer, actor
and three-time Emmy-winning choreographer
who inspires young people around the world
through dance, Debbie Allen.
♪ ♪
ALLEN: The Kennedy Center
is our national
performing arts center
that represents America
to the world.
♪ Freeze frame ♪
♪ Hey... ♪
I just...
didn't expect
to ever receive this honor.
♪ They say... ♪
ANNOUNCER: The folk icon
who married music with social
and political consciousness...
When you go into jail as a-- as a pacifist,
you come out a stronger pacifist.
♪ Is not near... ♪
...singer-songwriter, activist
and Lifetime Grammy winner Joan Baez.
♪ Every face... ♪
BAEZ: There are awards
and then there are awards.
And this is about culture
and about activism and about music
all together,
then, yeah, it's a big deal.
(The Dick Van Dyke Show theme playing)
ANNOUNCER: A beloved star
of stage, screen and television...
(ringing)
It's time!
...Tony, Grammy and five-time Emmy winner
Dick Van Dyke.
The Kennedy Center? That's...
that's stardust. That's-- You're...
That's so far out beyond my imagination.
I'm in rare company.
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Visionary artist,
activist and educator whose groundbreaking work makes her
one of the most outstanding violinists of our time,
Midori.
MIDORI: I think
this great honor comes
with much appreciation.
It's also an encouragement, I feel,
to be able to do more,
to do more, to continue to do more.
♪ When the last child cries ♪
ANNOUNCER: The top-selling solo artist
in U.S. history,
Grammy and 46-time ACM-winning country music superstar
Garth Brooks.
BROOKS: The Kennedy Center Honors.
How can it get better than that?
These are some amazing performers,
and to think this is one of 43 years?
That's a pretty hellacious list to belong to.
ANNOUNCER: And now here's your host,
Kennedy Center Honoree Gloria Estefan.
Welcome to the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors,
celebrating the lifetime artistic achievements
of our five distinguished honorees.
Each of them has dedicated their professional life
to the unique exchange between a performer
and an audience.
And speaking of audiences,
as you can see,
we're not coming to you from our usual location
inside the opera house.
Instead, our emotional tributes
and thrilling performances
are taking place all around the beautiful campus
of this, the busiest performing arts center in the nation.
Over the past few days and nights, we've held
intimate, socially distant events,
from the medallion presentation ceremony
and performances with the National Symphony Orchestra
to an exciting outdoor concert.
This is your ticket to those exclusive events
and to performances that we've taped
in and around this living memorial
to President John F. Kennedy
in places you don't normally get to see on the telecast.
The Kennedy Center reflects the cultural diversity
of the United States
and is dedicated to providing world-class art,
powerful education
and outstanding experiences to all audiences.
The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes performing artists
whose contributions to the human spirit
represent a devotion to that same mission.
So now we'll begin our tribute to our first honoree.
To salute her friend Debbie Allen,
here's Grammy and two-time Emmy Award winner Paula Abdul.
I don't think there is a thing in this world
that Debbie Allen cannot achieve.
In my mind, Debbie Allen invented fierce.
She was fierce before fierce was even a thing.
As Lydia Grant in Fame, she said,
"The better you are, the more sweat I'm gonna demand.
"So if you've never had to fight
"for anything in your life, put your gloves on
and get ready for round one."
In a few words, she gives us a master class
and a mic-drop moment.
That's Debbie, a quintessential leading lady.
I'm most proud to call her one of my biggest mentors
and friend.
Debbie broke ground with her "Best Actress"
Tony Award nomination for the Broadway revival
of Sweet Charity.
So we begin our tribute with two of the hit songs
from that musical, performed by
Tony Award nominee Ariana DeBose,
our incredible company of dancers,
and with a tribute to her mom,
Debbie's daughter, Vivian Nixon.
♪ ♪
♪ Somebody loves me ♪
♪ My heart is beating so fast ♪
♪ All kinds of music is pouring out of me ♪
♪ Somebody loves me at last ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Somebody loves me at last. ♪
♪ There's gotta be something better than this ♪
♪ There's gotta be something better to do ♪
♪ And when I find me something better to do ♪
♪ I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get out ♪
♪ I'm gonna get up and get out and do it ♪
♪ ♪
♪ And when I find me some kind of life I can live ♪
♪ I'm gonna get up ♪
♪ I'm gonna get out ♪
♪ I'm gonna get up and get out ♪
♪ And live ♪
♪ Live it. ♪
MAN: Nice.
MAN 2: Yes, very nice.
Not too bad, everybody.
(applause)
ANNOUNCER: Next, fantastic singing and phenomenal dancing
when our tribute to Debbie Allen continues.
And later, Kelly Clarkson, Bradley Cooper,
James Taylor, Tracee Ellis Ross,
Phoebe Bridgers, Gladys Knight,
Bryan Cranston, Bette Midler,
Derek Hough, Vanessa Hudgens,
Lin-Manuel Miranda and more
on the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors.
This is CBS.
The Kennedy Center Honors, sponsored by
Progressive Insurance.
Save when you bundle auto, home or motorcycle insurance.
Welcome back to the Kennedy Center Honors.
Let's continue our tribute to Debbie Allen
with someone who was there at the very beginning...
her sister, Tony Award winner
and five-time Emmy nominee Phylicia Rashad.
I've known Debbie Allen all her life.
And she is, as she has always been,
full of love and joy.
She's a dreamer who makes her dreams come true
through determination and great work.
No mountain is too high to climb,
no pebble too small to pay attention to.
This is how her incredible journey began.
Dancing Debbie, that's what they called me.
I was born into a family that supported me
becoming all that I am.
The Houston Ballet Foundation was totally segregated.
When Mom tried to get me in when I was eight,
it was not possible.
So I had to work really hard.
With all the creativity and inspiration,
there were so many
brick walls, but we prevailed.
And finally I was accepted.
My mom always helped me keep my heart in the right place.
My first big break was
dancing in front of the band,
Thanksgiving, Jack Yates Senior High.
I was really just following
the path of my sister Phylicia.
If you could twirl that baton and not drop it...
I mean, I was ready for the Oscars after.
I had grown up steeped in the arts,
but landing at Howard University,
which became my cultural oasis,
that really helped birth
the Debbie Allen that the world loves.
One and two, three, four and five.
Fame was a gift.
Fame was where I became
the quintessential choreographer...
I think we have time to do it one more time.
It's a process!
...and became a director,
then got offers to direct all kinds of things.
I finally got Grey's Anatomy.
Today I'm going to change a life.
I'm the executive producing director there,
and I'm working with the best actors.
When I went there,
it was a joyous experience.
I love everything that I do,
but dance has always been my heartbeat.
Dance has informed
my ability as a director.
But I think maybe the greatest thing that I've done,
and I've done a lot of wonderful things,
but I think it's the young people
that I've touched and given them
a path to follow
as an artist, as a woman, as a human being.
ESTEFAN: Here's Tracee Ellis Ross.
Debbie Allen is the embodiment of freedom.
She has channeled her unbridled joy
and uncompromising quest for excellence
into a career that has crossed barriers
and changed our world.
We all owe Debbie Allen a debt of gratitude.
She has torn down barriers and has allowed
the language of dance to function
as a catalyst for change.
I first worked with Debbie when she directed
episodes of Girlfriends.
Her boundless energy, infinite creativity and warmth
was nothing short of inspiring.
Ms. Allen is committed to bringing everyone along
on the journey of self-expression.
And now, performing the Oscar-nominated song
"Out Here on My Own" from Fame,
here are Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose
with dancers Tiler Peck and Desmond Richardson.
♪ Sometimes I wonder ♪
♪ Where I've been ♪
♪ Who I am ♪
♪ Do I fit in? ♪
♪ Make believin' ♪
♪ Is hard alone ♪
♪ Out here on my own ♪
♪ But when I'm down and feelin' blue ♪
♪ I close my eyes so I can be with you ♪
♪ Oh, baby, be strong for me ♪
♪ Baby, belong to me ♪
♪ Help me through ♪
♪ Help me need you ♪
♪ Sometimes I wonder ♪
♪ Where I've been ♪
♪ Who I am ♪
♪ Do I fit in? ♪
♪ I may not win ♪
♪ But I can't be thrown ♪
♪ Out here ♪
♪ On my own ♪
♪ Out here ♪
♪ On my ♪
♪ Own. ♪
ESTEFAN: And now, here's Shonda Rhimes.
Debbie Allen can do and has done anything that can be done.
From the very first time I saw her,
she was an inspiration and a symbol of power.
She was one of those pivotal forces in the world
who made me feel like I could be whoever I wanted to be.
Working with her as a director, a producer,
a philanthropist, and as a friend has changed my life
and the lives of so many others.
From her programs at The Debbie Allen Dance Academy
to the directors she hires on Grey's Anatomy,
Debbie's mission is to create opportunity for talented people
who might otherwise have never been given a chance,
because Debbie's world includes all of us.
For that and for the joy she has brought to millions,
I am deeply proud to know her.
Here is more of Debbie Allen's work,
in front of and behind the camera.
One, two.
And three and four and...
Five, six, step, chassé.
You want to become a dancer?
You're going to have to work.
(indistinct chatter)
♪ Fame, I'm gonna live forever ♪
♪ I'm gonna learn how to fly ♪
♪ High... ♪
Ma, it's prom night. I don't want to miss any of it.
Go on.
I'm ready to party! Ow!
Nan, you can't leave me.
You left me a long time ago.
What's the matter with you?
Why
do I have to get approval from that fat-ass manager of yours
every time I want to buy anything?
I was always walking in your footprints,
always wearing your hand-me-downs,
always your things. And it's still like that.
I loved how you just couldn't manage to say, "Hondo do it."
It just was, "Hon-do-it."
(chuckles)
Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Whoa! This thing comes all the way off.
This is not Broadway.
You've got to step down off of that stage
and kick ball change back into reality!
♪ There's gotta be some life cleaner than this ♪
♪ There's gotta be some good reason to live ♪
♪ And when I find me some kinda life I can live... ♪
("America" from West Side Story playing)
♪ Hey! ♪
♪ ♪
You've got big dreams.
You want fame.
Well, fame costs,
and right here is where you start paying,
in sweat.
Where are you trying to go in life?
♪ ♪
If you need to say something, say it. Quicker.
♪ ♪
I can't do it alone, so...
who wants to step into the future with me?
Performing the Academy Award-winning title song
from Fame, with the entire company,
here's musical star Vanessa Hudgens.
♪ ♪
♪ Baby, look at me ♪
♪ And tell me what you see ♪
♪ You ain't seen the best of me yet ♪
♪ Give me time, I'll make you forget the rest ♪
♪ I've got more in me ♪
♪ And you can set it free ♪
♪ I can catch the moon in my hand ♪
♪ Don't you know who I am? ♪
♪ Remember my name ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪
♪ I'm gonna learn how to fly ♪
♪ High ♪
♪ I feel it coming together ♪
♪ People will see me and cry ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna make it to heaven ♪
♪ Light up the sky like a flame ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪
♪ Baby, remember my name ♪
♪ Remember, remember, remember, remember ♪
♪ Remember, remember, remember ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪
♪ I'm gonna learn how to fly ♪
♪ High ♪
♪ I feel it coming together ♪
♪ People will see me and cry ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna make it to heaven ♪
♪ Light up the sky like a flame ♪
♪ Fame ♪
♪ I'm gonna live forever ♪
♪ Baby, remember my name ♪
♪ Remember, remember ♪
♪ Remember my name ♪
♪ Fame. ♪
DIRECTOR: And... clear.
(clapping)
Very nice.
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Our musical tribute to Joan Baez is next.
Plus, Kelly Clarkson, Bradley Cooper,
Yo-Yo Ma, Julie Andrews,
Jimmie Allen, John Travolta,
James Taylor and Jason Aldean.
The Kennedy Center Honors.
The Kennedy Center Honors will continue here. This is CBS.
♪ ♪
Welcome back to the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center,
site of performances of all types of music
from classical and Latin to hip-hop and folk.
Which brings us to our next honoree, Joan Baez.
It's my pleasure to introduce her good friend,
seven-time Grammy nominee
and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
Jackson Browne.
In the 1960s, there was an inseparable link
between the changes that were happening across the country
and the folk music that was being rediscovered
by a new generation.
Of the many great artists who performed these songs,
the one who suddenly came to national prominence
was Joan Baez.
In fact, the first record I ever bought with my own money
was Joan's second album.
To me, this was completely new music
that had a galvanizing effect.
My friends and I joined hands,
demonstrated,
and sang songs of protest.
To track Joan's involvement
in human rights and social justice
is to chart the evolution of our own moral awakening.
Her example has been, from the beginning,
one of empowerment.
Maybe someday all our trials will be over.
BAEZ: Music alone is not enough for me.
♪ Hush, little baby... ♪
I never thought about
combining music and politics.
It just came so naturally to me.
♪ There's no need for anger ♪
♪ There's no need... ♪
BROWNE: For over six decades, Joan Baez
has raised our collective consciousness.
She's protested violence with peace
and shined her light on civil rights,
gay rights, human rights.
BAEZ: Dr. King was one of the figures
who fed what I believed in.
Free at last, free at last...
BAEZ: And continued giving me that strength
and the energy and the nerve.
BROWNE: She united us in song
and gave us the soundtrack to a soaring rhetoric.
♪ We shall overcome someday. ♪
BAEZ: My mom was a natural pacifist,
and I was the same way.
From a very, very early age, I kind of put it together
in my head about human suffering.
You know, I didn't want to get hurt.
Why would anybody else want to get hurt?
BROWNE: Joan put purpose to music
and exposed us to people and places
that deserved our attention.
Miss Joan Baez.
Come on.
♪ ♪
♪ They say everything can be replaced... ♪
BAEZ: In the day, we had
a platform for those songs.
They were underground,
we were counterculture.
And then all of a sudden, we were culture.
♪ How many roads must a man... ♪
The nonviolent community
and the anti-war communities
planned a couple of mornings
of aiding and abetting the draft resistance.
So I was arrested, my mom was with me.
After a month,
they threw Mom and me out.
They figured we were the troublemakers.
I mean, you go into jail as a... as a pacifist,
you come out a stronger pacifist.
(vocalizing)
♪ I want my freedom now... ♪
BROWNE: Joan Baez has been the conscience
and the voice of generations.
BAEZ: Good morning, children of the '80s.
This is your Woodstock,
and it's long overdue.
(cheering)
BROWNE: She has taken her message of peace and love
from Hanoi to Sarajevo
and many points in between.
♪ Don't wanna die any more than we do ♪
♪ What I'm tryin' to say... ♪
BAEZ: When I travel, it's me trying to offer my gift,
which is my voice.
BROWNE: And today,
she's made the journey back home,
making resonant music with her family.
BAEZ: Now I am sharing
a legacy with my son and granddaughter.
We're musicians together
and pals together
and family together.
BROWNE: Joan,
your legacy will live forever.
And with you deep in our hearts,
we do believe we shall overcome,
someday.
(applause)
ESTEFAN: And now, here's Phoebe Bridgers.
Joan Baez is nothing less than a warrior.
When she joined the folk movement,
Joan gave voice to the originators of those songs.
They were the disenfranchised workers, immigrants, slaves,
indigenous people who built this country
and whose music reflect their outlook on life.
Their universal stories spoke to, and for,
everyone who had been marginalized by society.
She also gave us peaceful anthems of hope,
philosophical declarations of faith,
and her personal recollections of bittersweet memories.
One of those songs Joan recorded for her first album
is a traditional folktale of heartbreak avoided.
Now, outside to perform that classic, "Silver Dagger,"
here's Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens,
joined by Joan's frequent collaborator,
Dirk Powell.
(playing "Silver Dagger")
♪ ♪
♪ Don't sing love songs ♪
♪ You'll wake my mother ♪
♪ She's sleeping here ♪
♪ Right by my side ♪
♪ And in her right hand ♪
♪ A silver dagger ♪
♪ She says that I ♪
♪ Can't be your bride ♪
♪ "All men are false" ♪
♪ Says my mother ♪
♪ "They'll tell you wicked, tender lies ♪
♪ The very next evening ♪
♪ They'll court another ♪
♪ Leave you alone ♪
♪ To pine and sigh" ♪
♪ Go court another ♪
♪ Tender maiden ♪
♪ And hope that she ♪
♪ Will be your wife ♪
♪ For I've been warned ♪
♪ And I've decided ♪
♪ To sleep alone ♪
♪ All of my life. ♪
♪ ♪
(song ends)
(cheering and applause)
ESTEFAN: Here's Tom Morello.
Joan Baez is more than an international folk singer,
she is an international folk hero.
Throughout her career, through decades of music,
she has been a tireless and uncompromising advocate
for human rights and social justice.
I've had the honor
of sharing the stage with her several times,
and whether singing her own songs
or creating timeless classics interpreting others' music,
through her gorgeous voice she has always been unapologetic
in the pursuit of truth, beauty and righteousness.
Her cover of "House of the Rising Sun"
off her debut album was a signal flare
letting the world know
that a truly important artist had arrived.
And now, to perform that classic hit
with the National Symphony Orchestra,
here's Grammy winner Sturgill Simpson.
(playing "House of the Rising Sun")
♪ ♪
♪ There is a house in New Orleans ♪
♪ They call the Rising Sun ♪
♪ And it's been the ruin ♪
♪ Of many a poor girl ♪
♪ And me, oh, God ♪
♪ I'm one ♪
♪ If I'd listened ♪
♪ To what my mother said ♪
♪ I'd have been at home today ♪
♪ But I was young and foolish ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
♪ Let a rambler lead me astray ♪
♪ Go tell my baby sister ♪
♪ Not to do what I have done ♪
♪ Oh, but shun that house ♪
♪ Down in New Orleans ♪
♪ That they call the Rising Sun ♪
♪ So I'm going back ♪
♪ Down to New Orleans ♪
♪ My race is nearly run ♪
♪ I'm going back ♪
♪ Oh, to spend my life ♪
♪ Beneath that old Rising Sun ♪
♪ There is a house in New Orleans ♪
♪ They call the Rising Sun ♪
♪ And it's been the ruin ♪
♪ Of many a poor girl ♪
♪ And me ♪
♪ Oh, God, I'm one. ♪
(song ends)
(cheering and applause)
Now, let's go back outside
for a medley of Joan's most iconic songs.
Here are Grammy winners Emmylou Harris
and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
(playing "Diamonds & Rust")
♪ ♪
♪ I'll be damned ♪
♪ Here comes your ghost again ♪
♪ But that's not unusual ♪
♪ It's just that the moon is full ♪
♪ And you happened to call ♪
♪ Ten years ago ♪
♪ I bought you some cuff links ♪
♪ You brought me something ♪
♪ We both know what memories can bring ♪
♪ They bring diamonds and rust ♪
♪ Now I see you standing ♪
♪ With brown leaves falling all around ♪
♪ And snow in your hair ♪
♪ Now you're smiling out that window ♪
♪ Of that crummy hotel over Washington Square ♪
♪ Our breath comes out white clouds ♪
♪ Mingles and hangs in the air ♪
♪ Speaking strictly for me ♪
♪ We both could have died then and there. ♪
(playing "God Is Good")
♪ I believe in prophecy ♪
♪ Some folks see things ♪
♪ Not everybody can see ♪
♪ Once in a while ♪
♪ They pass the secret along ♪
♪ To you and me ♪
♪ And I believe in miracles ♪
♪ Something sacred burning in every bush and tree ♪
♪ We can all learn to sing ♪
♪ The songs the angels sing ♪
♪ And I believe in God ♪
♪ And God ain't me. ♪
(playing "We Shall Overcome")
♪ ♪
♪ We shall overcome ♪
♪ Someday ♪
♪ Oh, deep in my heart ♪
♪ I do believe ♪
♪ That we shall overcome ♪
♪ Someday ♪
♪ We are not afraid ♪
♪ Today ♪
♪ Oh, deep in my heart ♪
♪ I do believe ♪
♪ That we shall overcome ♪
♪ Someday. ♪
(song ends)
(cheering and applause)
ANNOUNCER: Next, award-winning stars
of TV, movies and Broadway
pay tribute to the legendary Dick Van Dyke
on the Kennedy Center Honors.
♪ ♪
The Hall of Nations currently displays
the unprecedented art exhibition
Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower,
illustrating some of the most daring
and creative leaders of our time.
Another creative woman joins us now
to pay tribute to Dick Van Dyke.
Here's Academy Award winner
and Kennedy Center Honoree Julie Andrews.
My friend Dick Van Dyke and I
have been friends for more than half a century.
We first met when Walt Disney put us together
in Mary Poppins, the story of a magical nanny...
although, in truth, I think that Dick is as magical as she is.
Like his character Bert in that movie,
Dick seems to have found the secret to happiness.
And, like Bert, Dick is many things.
He's an artist,
a one-man band,
a profound philosopher,
a high-stepping showman
and spreader of charm.
And there's a secret--
good luck does rub off when he shakes hands with you.
Here's a look at this man
who is endlessly kind,
wildly imaginative,
insanely talented,
and hilariously funny,
as told by his friend Steve Martin.
STEVE MARTIN: He's been called an icon of delight,
a tireless ray of sunshine,
the most beloved performer on Earth.
And that's by his critics.
I first encountered Dick Van Dyke in 1963,
when he walked into Merlin's Magic Shop
at Disneyland, where I worked.
I remember thinking to myself,
"Steve, this has to be
the luckiest day of Dick's life."
(laughter)
Every aspiring comic on Earth
worshipped at the altar of Dick Van Dyke.
Audiences hadn't seen physicality like his
since the genius of Stan Laurel.
A shy but funny kid from Illinois,
Dick's foray into musical theater was a little show
called Bye Bye Birdie.
DICK VAN DYKE: I think I was a little stiff in the first few weeks
of Bye Bye Birdie. I almost got fired.
MARTIN: But Broadway director Gower Champion doubled down
on Dick Van Dyke by giving him
a song originally written for Chita Rivera.
♪ Gray skies are gonna clear up ♪
♪ Put on a happy face... ♪
MARTIN: That song took Dick Van Dyke to a Tony Award
and launched him to musical comedy stardom.
In 1961, Dick took a week off from Bye Bye Birdie
to shoot a television pilot.
VAN DYKE: That was by far the most fun we ever had.
Everybody got a chance to... to show themselves off.
MARTIN: With Carl Reiner at the helm
of an astounding ensemble cast,
the series reinvented the American sitcom
and made Dick Van Dyke a household name.
What on earth has gotten into you?
A rhythmic impulse has gotten into me.
MARTIN: He even caught the attention of my old boss at the Magic Shop.
♪ Chim chiminey, chim chiminey... ♪
In Bert the chimney sweep, the world would see
the depth of Dick's musical talent
and impeccable timing.
(playing wildly)
Dick went on to take even more iconic turns,
dramatic and comedic,
on the big screen and small,
and some with his family at his side.
Dick, in your remarkable, 75-year career,
you haven't put a foot wrong,
or lost a single step.
Oh, magic spirit! Oh.
MARTIN: And if that's not magic,
I don't know what is.
And every day is
supercalifragilistic- expialidocious with you, Dick.
Or, you could say that backwards.
It's dociousaliexpilistic- fragicalirupus.
It doesn't really matter, does it?
Anyway, congratulations
on this most-deserved Kennedy Center Honor.
And to begin your celebration,
here's two-time Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes.
♪ ♪
♪ Ain't it a glorious day? ♪
♪ Right as a morning in May ♪
♪ I feel like I could fly ♪
♪ Have you ever seen ♪
♪ The grass so green? ♪
♪ Or a bluer sky? ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert ♪
♪ Gentlemen like you are few ♪
♪ Though you're just a diamond in the rough, Bert ♪
♪ Underneath, your blood is blue ♪
♪ You'd never think of pressing your advantage ♪
♪ Forbearance is the hallmark of your creed ♪
♪ A lady needn't fear when you are near ♪
♪ Your sweet gentility is crystal clear ♪
♪ Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert ♪
♪ A jolly, jolly holiday with you. ♪
♪ ♪
(song ends)
(applause)
ESTEFAN: Here's Bryan Cranston.
Dick Van Dyke was my boyhood idol
and an inspiration to becoming an actor.
Like everyone, I'd grown up watching his comic genius
on full display, building hilarious moments
like a master carpenter.
But what some people don't know is
how gifted he is at drama.
Watching him slice a character to its core
in films like The Comic and The Runner Stumbles
was like watching an expert surgeon.
But beyond talent is Dick's affability
and grace and kindness
and respect for his colleagues.
I experienced this firsthand when I got a chance
to work with him twice, where he sets the tone,
keeping the mood loose and fun
but always professional.
So, master comic or expert dramatist,
here is a small sampling of the 70-year career
of the amazing Dick Van Dyke.
Comedy is changing, changing, changing...
(high-pitched laughter)
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,
it's showtime right now!
ANNOUNCER: Starring Dick Van Dyke.
It's time!
I'm Rob, and-and she's-- And we, we have a...
People, people...
ALL: Two, three, four, like it so much, we'll do some more.
Is this the underwear of a criminal?
Cast off!
I want you to know something: I love you!
Yeah, well we'll put an end to that.
It's interesting to note that although
they do still laugh at slapstick, most people...
I'm Smiley Rogers, your global encyclopedia salesman.
I'm here to enrich your life.
I don't want my life enriched!
Marie, your show has been canceled.
♪ Hello, hello, we want you all to know ♪
♪ We couldn't wait to get here just to say hello. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Mary ♪
♪ Mary makes your heart so light. ♪
♪ Why look so awfully tragic? ♪
♪ Put on a happy face. ♪
♪ Oh, you pretty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you. ♪
Why don't you care about what I think?
Would you just hold it...
(doorbell rings)
Just once...
Hi...
Who are you to be giving orders in my hospital?
Martin Rutgers, National Security Agency.
Chief, I am a candidate for mayor.
I'm not an alcoholic, Fran. Come on.
Are you sick or something?
Oh, my, I should say so.
I have one of the most advanced cases of old age
in the history of medical science.
Sundown to sunrise, we felt young again.
I may be circling the drain,
but I got a few steps left in me.
ESTEFAN: And now, here's Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Spend five minutes with Dick Van Dyke
and you're more alive than you were before.
He's the kind of performing legend
you just hope to meet one day and say, "Thank you
for showing us how it ought to be done."
Getting the chance to actually work with Dick
on Mary Poppins Returns
was a lifelong dream come true.
When I met him, we immediately bonded
over our shared history with the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
He, of course, for winning a Tony as Albert
and then going on to give an iconic performance
in the 1963 film, and me for playing Conrad Birdie
in my sixth grade stage production.
My grandmother made my gold lamé jacket.
Basically the same experience.
Dick, from all your friends on Broadway
and from your fans all around the world,
thank you, and congratulations on your Kennedy Center Honor.
Now, to kick off this tribute to some of your
best-loved performances,
here are Derek Hough and Laura Osnes.
♪ ♪
♪ Gray skies are gonna clear up ♪
♪ Put on a happy face ♪
♪ Brush off the clouds and cheer up ♪
♪ Put on a happy face ♪
♪ Take off that gloomy mask of tragedy ♪
♪ It's not your style ♪
♪ You'll look so good that you'll be glad ♪
♪ You decided to smile ♪
♪ Pick out a pleasant outlook ♪
♪ Stick out that noble chin ♪
♪ Wipe off that full-of-doubt look ♪
♪ Slap on a happy grin ♪
Ah-choo!
♪ And spread sunshine all over the place ♪
♪ Just put on a happy face ♪
♪ Put on a happy face ♪
♪ ♪
BOTH: ♪ And spread sunshine ♪
♪ All over the place ♪
♪ Put on a happy ♪
♪ Face. ♪
ESTEFAN: And now here's Chita Rivera.
When Dick performed "Put on a Happy Face,"
Bye Bye Birdie soared.
The very first audience reaction
let us know we had a hit on our hands.
But I already knew I'd struck gold with Dick,
because we bonded on day one.
The man is pure joy.
Once we got each other laughing, we just couldn't stop.
In fact, our hysterics even got us kicked out of rehearsals.
But we were turning the entire company into a family,
and when you have a great family, you have a great show.
Dick and I have been like family ever since,
and I am thrilled that he is receiving this honor.
In addition to laughter, Dick has always had a passion
for a cappella voices.
And so, Dick, with a tribute
to one of your most treasured movie songs,
here are Grammy winners Pentatonix
and Tony Award nominee Aaron Tveit.
♪ ♪
♪ Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Oh, you pretty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you ♪
♪ And in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, what we'll do ♪
♪ Near, far, in our motorcar ♪
♪ Oh, what a happy time we'll spend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Oh, you pretty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you ♪
♪ And in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, what we'll do ♪
♪ Near, far, in our motorcar ♪
♪ Oh, what a happy time we'll spend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ You're sleek as a thoroughbred ♪
♪ You're seats are a feather bed ♪
♪ You'll turn everybody's head today ♪
♪ We'll glide on our motor trip ♪
♪ With pride in our ownership ♪
♪ The envy of all we survey ♪
♪ Oh, Chitty, you, Chitty, pretty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you ♪
♪ And Chitty, in Chitty, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, what we'll do ♪
♪ Near Chitty, far Chitty, in our motorcar ♪
♪ Oh, what a happy time we'll spend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Our fine four-fendered friend ♪
♪ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ♪
♪ Fine four-fendered Chitty Chitty friend. ♪
MIRANDA: Dick, here's a salute to that ever-present
spring in your step,
and a nod to Bert the chimney sweep,
our entire company performing "Step in Time."
♪ Step in time ♪
♪ Step in time, kick your knees up ♪
♪ Step in time, kick your knees up, step in time ♪
♪ Never need a reason, never need a rhyme ♪
♪ Kick your knees up, step in time ♪
♪ Step in time, step in time ♪
♪ Never need a reason, never need a rhyme ♪
♪ Step in time, you step in time ♪
♪ Link your elbows ♪
♪ Link your elbows, step in time ♪
♪ Never need a reason, never need a rhyme ♪
♪ Link your elbows, step in time ♪
♪ Step in time, step in time ♪
♪ Never need a reason, never need a rhyme ♪
♪ Step in time, you step in time ♪
♪ Bah-bah-bah-bah- bah-bah-bah-bah-bah! ♪
DIRECTOR: Clear.
(whooping)
ANNOUNCER: Our tribute to Midori is next.
And later, a musical celebration for Garth Brooks.
The 43rd Kennedy Center Honors.
ANNOUNCER: The Kennedy Center Honors will continue here.
This is CBS.
♪ ♪
The REACH at the Kennedy Center
is a transformative public space open to all.
Building connections between art and the human experience
is one of the missions of both the REACH
and our next honoree.
We begin our tribute to Midori
with the Grammy-winning conductor
of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.
From time to time, humanity is graced with the presence
of an artist who combines the breadth
of an extraordinary creative ability,
the depth of a profoundly miraculous soul
and the warmth of an open, caring heart.
Someone with this boundless social vision
that reaches over mountains
to touch the lives of everyone around them.
Such an artist is Midori, who we honor tonight.
We honor her for not just for her transcendent music-making,
but also for her tireless commitment
to social engagement, a commitment that reminds us
of how we can work together, as a society,
in service of the greater good.
Midori, you have won our hearts,
stimulated our minds and touched our souls.
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: The world has never seen the likes of Midori,
the peerless virtuoso who seems to serve as a messenger
for composers 300 years before her time.
When violinist Pinchas Zukerman first heard her play, he wept.
And Isaac Stern declared her
the greatest prodigy he'd ever heard.
Midori gave her first public performance
at the age of six in her native Japan,
and made her American debut just five years later.
Her violinist mother gently taught and supported her,
even making her dresses.
Midori would grow into her prodigious gifts,
but she had already mastered composure.
While performing Leonard Bernstein's
Serenade, after Plato's Symposium at Tanglewood
with Bernstein conducting,
her E string broke not once, but twice.
To the astonishment of the audience,
she quite literally didn't miss a beat.
You got an 18th birthday coming up?
Yes, and I'll...
Big celebration planned?
Well, I'll be playing at Carnegie Hall,
and it's my debut at Carnegie Hall, so I'm very excited.
(applause)
Well, that's marvelous.
♪ ♪
MIDORI: When I think about the different things
that are in the music, it's my subjective perspective.
But performers are the messengers
of what the composers have written.
ANNOUNCER: Midori is the rarest of artists who stirs our souls
with her music and changes our lives with her deeds.
MIDORI: The first piece is by a very,
very famous composer named Mozart.
I was appointed
as a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations.
And being able to share our musical traditions
in refugee camps or in remote villages,
this is something that I think of as a great privilege.
Music has so many wonderful possibilities,
for so many people.
Uh, not just for those that play, but for those that listen.
(applause)
ESTEFAN: Here's John Lithgow.
Let me tell you something you may not know about Midori.
Her passion for her art is rivaled only by her commitment
to improve lives across the globe.
Among the several nonprofit organizations
she founded and manages, Music Sharing
brings both western classical and Japanese music traditions
to young people in schools, institutions and hospitals
in her native Japan.
Backed by the highest honor bestowed on a citizen
by the U.N. secretary general, Midori works to raise awareness
of United Nations efforts worldwide.
Midori, with a tribute to your humanitarianism,
it is my pleasure to introduce your friend--
and in fact, my good friend--
fellow U.N. Messenger of Peace
and Kennedy Center Honoree Yo-Yo Ma.
(Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude playing)
♪ ♪
(piece ends)
The Kennedy Center Concert Hall is home to
the National Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of our conductor tonight,
Maestro Thomas Wilkins.
And now, to continue our tribute to Midori,
here's her friend, Tony and Emmy winner
and two-time Oscar nominee, Bette Midler.
Although the lovely Midori appears dainty and small,
make no mistake, she is a giant and a powerhouse.
In the pantheon of musical legends,
she stands shoulder to shoulder, chin rest to chin rest
with the greatest violinists of all time:
Enescu, Heifetz, Menuhin, Mutter, Mullova and Perelman.
And I'm someone who knows a thing or two about fiddlers,
on roofs and off.
Many years ago I played a small part with Midori
in the very successful music education foundation
she began when she was only 21,
called Midori and Friends.
Even at that age, this extraordinary artist
saw the need to bring music into young lives
in underserved communities in New York City.
And since then, Midori and Friends has inspired
nearly half a million students to become lifelong music lovers.
And now I am so very pleased to introduce
this special tribute to my friend Midori.
Performing with the National Symphony Orchestra,
here are violin virtuosos Gil Shaham
and Adele Anthony.
(applause)
Midori's musical identity is rooted in the music
of Johann Sebastian Bach.
ANTHONY: We would like to play for our friend Midori
an excerpt from Bach's Concerto for Two Violins.
Much love to you, Midori.
(applause)
♪ ♪
(applause)
ESTEFAN: To perform the third movement
of Bernstein's Serenade, after Plato's Symposium,
please welcome virtuoso Hilary Hahn.
(applause)
♪ ♪
(applause)
ANNOUNCER: Next, our celebration of the arts continues
with a special performance from rising stars
of music and dance.
And later, legendary icons pay tribute to Garth Brooks.
Now, please welcome the chairman of the Kennedy Center,
David Rubenstein.
The Kennedy Center exists as a performing arts center
as well as a living memorial
to the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
Under federal law, we are a platform to encourage
and foster both artistic excellence
and education across the country.
An important part of our mission is creating
a moment for America to unite and celebrate the pinnacle
of artistic achievement through our annual
Honors celebration.
Of course, much has changed
since our 42nd Honors in December of 2019.
Performing arts centers shut down,
leaving artists without traditional places to perform
or create, and patrons with no doors to open
to see a show or listen to music.
Tonight represents change and hope for the future,
and symbolizes the resilience of the arts and our country.
Tonight also marks a path
toward reopening the Kennedy Center
and performing arts centers nationwide.
I am grateful to our longtime broadcast partner CBS
for its dedication to this year's Honors,
and to you, for your support of and belief in
the importance of performing arts
to our national spirit and culture.
At the Kennedy Center, we work every day
to fulfill our leadership role in national performing arts,
education policy and programs for young people,
families, adults and educators.
Not just here in our nation's capital,
but across America.
♪ ♪
The arts were what got me through life.
BAEZ: Anything that can be done
to enhance kids' lives with art, music and dance
is on the right track.
Sounds shimmer.
A little bit more speed.
MIDORI: As a teacher, I think it is
the greatest kind of honor
to be able to participate
in the development of another person.
I started Midori and Friends to bring musical opportunities
and music education to kids in underserved communities
in New York City.
VAN DYKE: There are schools that have dropped
their music programs
and their dramatic programs
because of cost.
We need art, music.
I think it gives us the deepest understanding of ourselves.
GARTH BROOKS: Things like art programs
kept me in school long enough for me
to mature enough to go, "Oh, I need an education."
That was the joy of going to school,
was you had these other programs.
I created DADA
because young people are
our future, our hope,
and we have to let them dream.
Well, what makes you think you couldn't do that?
I always let them know that they can do it.
They must be able to make the world feel.
And that's the heartbeat of the Kennedy Center.
(cheers and applause)
Arts education is a passion shared by all
of this year's honorees.
Of the many charitable foundations
Midori has established
is her Orchestra Residencies Program,
which keeps young musicians engaged, excited
and motivated during these unusual times.
Likewise, the nonprofit Debbie Allen Dance Academy
offers a comprehensive dance curriculum for students
ranging in age from four to 18,
regardless of their financial status.
And so, with a tribute to their commitment
to enriching young lives through music and dance,
Midori and Debbie's students are joined by rising star
violinist Randall Goosby,
and ballet and contemporary dancer Kylie Jefferson.
♪ ♪
DIRECTOR: Clear!
Yeah!
Nice job, everybody!
Go home!
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, we kick off
our spectacular tribute to Garth Brooks.
The Kennedy Center Honors.
ANNOUNCER: The Kennedy Center Honors will continue here.
This is CBS.
Blue is a remarkable sculpture,
symbolizing action, risk,
performance and energy.
Those are also words that perfectly describe
our final honoree, Garth Brooks.
His tribute begins with a two-time Grammy winner,
Tony Award and eight-time Academy Award nominee,
Bradley Cooper.
There's country music, rock, gospel, honky-tonk...
and then there's Garth Brooks.
Garth is a power hitter, who swung for the fences
and shattered the barriers between musical genres,
forever expanding the vocabulary of country music
and changing American culture.
With his sensitive storytelling, he inspired dreamers
to follow the river and dare to dance the tide.
Never one to sit back and play it safe,
he sang his truth, celebrating the lives of people
who, like John F. Kennedy, paid the ultimate sacrifice
for the dream they believed in.
And with his explosive showmanship,
he electrified packed arenas and roped the wind.
And through it all,
he's remained the humblest man you'll ever meet.
Garth, congratulations on your Kennedy Center Honor.
Now, here's more about the unprecedented career
of Garth Brooks as told by his friend, Wayne Gretzky.
♪ ♪
WAYNE GRETZKY: To see my friend, Garth Brooks,
in concert is to witness a cosmic blast in cowboy boots.
(cheering, clamoring)
It's to hear the ear-splitting roar of 80,000 strong
having the time of their lives.
(cheering)
And it's to understand with crystal clarity
how a kid from Oklahoma
came to transcend musical
and social boundaries,
and become the best-selling U.S. solo artist
of all time.
♪ Looking back, yeah... ♪
Garth was the baby of six kids to a taskmaster father
and country-singer mother.
When his mom traded music for motherhood,
he picked up her dream, and carried it
to Nashville.
♪ Pour me another one ♪
♪ I'm dealing with the other one ♪
♪ I'm drinking my baby goodbye... ♪
Garth's versatile voice got him a gig
singing demos alongside another young hopeful
named Trisha Yearwood.
♪ The thunder rolls and the lightning strikes... ♪
With hardcore determination
and a little bit of luck,
Garth landed himself a record deal
and never looked back.
(audience cheering)
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Garth Brooks!
Is anybody out there as scared as I am by any chance?
It would help a lot.
♪ If tomorrow never comes... ♪
GRETZKY: Garth went from playing clubs
to headlining arenas in one year,
connecting with euphoric audiences
who felt like every song
was written for them.
The Entertainer of the Year is....
BOTH: Garth Brooks!
ALL: Garth Brooks!
Artist of the Decade, Garth Brooks!
GRETZKY: And when he reached the mountaintop,
Garth walked away from his career
to raise his kids in Oklahoma.
BROOKS: I don't know how else to say it.
I'm here to...
announce my retirement, it's a...
thing that I feel that I'm trading it for,
is more important at this point in my life.
GRETZKY: After devoting more than a decade to family life,
Garth went back on tour with spirited encouragement
from his biggest fan.
And the rest of his fans?
They hadn't gone anywhere.
ALL: Showtime!
♪ I got friends ♪
♪ In low places ♪
♪ Where the whiskey drowns... ♪
Garth, in the 20-plus years I've known you,
I've watched you give everything you've got,
to everyone around you.
And that gets you friends in low places,
in high places,
all places.
♪ In low places. ♪
ESTEFAN: Here's Jason Aldean.
I'm going to let you in on something.
I once told Garth Brooks when I was a kid,
I had his poster on my wall.
True story.
Back then, he was "the guy."
And he still is.
He knocked down a lot of doors for the artists
who followed him, especially performers like me
who aren't what you would call "traditional."
Garth not only made it okay to mix country music
with rock and roll, but he made it cool.
It's been an honor for me to walk through those doors,
a dream come true to perform with Garth,
and a mind-blowing experience to call him my friend.
Now, to perform one of Garth's hits--
actually one of the greatest songs in country music--
here's Grammy and ACM Award winner,
my good friend, Kelly Clarkson.
(cheering, applause)
♪ Looking back ♪
♪ On the memory of ♪
♪ The dance we shared ♪
♪ 'Neath the stars above ♪
♪ For a moment ♪
♪ All the world was right ♪
♪ How could I have known ♪
♪ That you'd ever say goodbye ♪
♪ And now ♪
♪ I'm glad I didn't know ♪
♪ The way it all would end ♪
♪ The way it all would go ♪
♪ Our lives ♪
♪ Are better left to chance ♪
♪ I could have missed the pain ♪
♪ But I'd have had to miss ♪
♪ The dance ♪
♪ Holding you ♪
♪ I held everything ♪
♪ For a moment ♪
♪ Wasn't I the king ♪
♪ If I'd only known ♪
♪ How the king would fall ♪
♪ Hey, who's to say ♪
♪ I might have changed it all ♪
♪ And now ♪
♪ I'm glad I didn't know ♪
♪ The way it all would end ♪
♪ The way it all would go ♪
♪ Our lives ♪
♪ Are better left to chance ♪
♪ I could have missed the pain ♪
♪ But I'd have had to miss ♪
♪ Our lives ♪
♪ Are better left to chance ♪
♪ I could have missed the pain ♪
♪ But I'd have had to miss ♪
♪ The ♪
♪ Dance. ♪
(cheering, applause)
Congratulations, Garth. I love you.
ANNOUNCER: Our tribute to Garth Brooks continues,
with more unforgettable performances
next on the Kennedy Center Honors.
Welcome back to our celebration at the Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts.
Now, to continue our tribute to Garth Brooks,
here's Emmy winner and two-time Academy Award nominee
John Travolta.
Thanks to my movie Urban Cowboy,
I've gotten a lot of credit for popularizing western shirts
and cowboy hats.
But the real credit for bringing country music style
to the public, and style to country music,
goes to my very dear friend, Garth Brooks.
In fact, Garth is more than just a friend.
He's a part of my family.
He's been there for me during some difficult times,
always with a strong shoulder,
a sympathetic ear, and a word of wisdom
to help me get through.
Likewise, his songs give us a safe space
during moments of struggle,
reminding us to tell our loved ones how we feel
while they're here, to embrace our differences,
or just dream.
Now, to sing one for the dreamers
is the artist whose music inspired Garth
to pick up his guitar and write it.
Performing "The River" with the National Symphony Orchestra,
here's my dear friend, James Taylor.
♪ ♪
♪ Well, a dream is like a river ♪
♪ Ever changin' as it flows ♪
♪ And a dreamer's just a vessel ♪
♪ That must follow where it goes ♪
♪ Trying to learn from what's behind you ♪
♪ Never knowing what's in store ♪
♪ Makes each day a constant battle ♪
♪ Just to stay between the shores ♪
♪ Too many times we stand aside ♪
♪ Watch the waters slip away ♪
♪ Till what we put off until tomorrow ♪
♪ Has become yesterday ♪
♪ So don't you sit upon that shoreline ♪
♪ And say you're satisfied ♪
♪ You must choose to chance the rapids ♪
♪ Dare to dance the tide ♪
♪ Yes, I will sail my vessel ♪
♪ Till the river runs dry ♪
♪ Like a bird upon the wind ♪
♪ These waters are my sky ♪
♪ I'll never reach my destination ♪
♪ If I never try ♪
♪ So I will sail my vessel ♪
♪ Till the river runs dry ♪
♪ Yeah, there's bound to be rough waters ♪
♪ And I know I'll take some falls ♪
♪ But with the good Lord as my captain ♪
♪ I can make it through it all ♪
♪ I will sail my vessel ♪
♪ Till the river runs dry ♪
♪ Like a bird upon the wind ♪
♪ These waters are my sky ♪
♪ I'll never reach my destination ♪
♪ If I never try ♪
♪ And I will sail my vessel ♪
♪ Till the river runs dry ♪
♪ Till the river runs dry. ♪
(applause, cheering)
And now let's head back outside
for more of Garth's most beloved hits.
Here's Academy of Country Music Award winner Jimmie Allen.
(applause)
("The Thunder Rolls" begins)
♪ 3:30 in the morning ♪
♪ And not a soul in sight ♪
♪ The city's lookin' like a ghost town ♪
♪ On a moonless summer night ♪
♪ Raindrops on the windshield ♪
♪ There's a storm movin' in ♪
♪ He's headed back from somewhere ♪
♪ That he never should have been ♪
♪ And the thunder rolls ♪
♪ Every light is burnin' ♪
♪ In a house across town ♪
♪ She's pacing by the telephone ♪
♪ In her faded flannel gown ♪
♪ Askin' for a miracle ♪
♪ And hopin' she ain't right, no ♪
♪ Praying it's the weather ♪
♪ That's kept him out all night ♪
♪ And the thunder rolls ♪
♪ The thunder rolls ♪
♪ And the lightnin' strikes ♪
♪ Another love grows cold ♪
♪ On a sleepless night ♪
♪ As the storm blows on ♪
♪ Out of control ♪
♪ Deep in her heart ♪
♪ The thunder rolls. ♪
(cheering, applause)
("Friends in Low Places" begins)
♪ Blame it all on my roots ♪
♪ I showed up in boots ♪
♪ And ruined your black tie affair ♪
♪ The last one to know ♪
♪ Was the last one to show ♪
♪ I was the last one you thought you'd see there ♪
♪ And I saw the surprise ♪
♪ And the fear in his eyes ♪
♪ When I took his glass of champagne ♪
♪ And I toasted you ♪
♪ Said, honey, we may be through ♪
♪ But you'll never hear me complain ♪
♪ 'Cause I've got friends in low places ♪
♪ Where the whiskey drowns ♪
♪ And the beer chases my blues away ♪
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ And I'll be okay ♪
♪ Well, I'm not big on social graces ♪
♪ Think I'll slip on down ♪
♪ To the oasis ♪
♪ Oh, I've got friends, yeah ♪
♪ In low places ♪
Come on, y'all, help me sing this song.
♪ 'Cause I've got friends in low places ♪
♪ Where the whiskey drowns ♪
♪ And the beer chases my blues away ♪
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ And I'll be okay ♪
♪ No, I'm not big on social graces ♪
♪ Think I'll slip on down ♪
♪ To the oasis ♪
♪ Oh, I've got friends, yeah ♪
♪ In low places ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ 'Cause I got friends ♪
♪ In low places. ♪
(cheering, whooping)
Mr. Brooks, thank you so much.
Love you.
Thanks for everything you've done, man.
(cheering, whistling)
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Our tribute to Garth Brooks
concludes with a thrilling performance next.
The Kennedy Center Honors.
♪ ♪
Welcome back to the Kennedy Center Honors.
As a final tribute,
performing Garth's hit "We Shall Be Free,"
here's the Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight.
(applause, cheering)
KNIGHT: Oh, my goodness!
(mouthing)
Yeah, I started in country.
♪ ♪
♪ This ain't comin' from no prophet ♪
♪ Just an ordinary man ♪
♪ When I close my eyes, I see ♪
♪ The way this world shall be ♪
♪ When we all walk hand in hand ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ ♪
(singers vocalizing)
KNIGHT: Come on.
♪ When the last child cries for a crust of bread ♪
♪ When the last man dies ♪
♪ For just words that he said ♪
♪ When there's shelter over the poorest head ♪
♪ Then we shall be free ♪
♪ When the last thing we notice ♪
♪ Is the color of skin ♪
♪ And the first thing we look for ♪
♪ Is the beauty within ♪
♪ When the skies and the oceans are clean again ♪
♪ Then we shall be free ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
You said it.
♪ Oh, we shall be free ♪
♪ Yes ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Uh-huh ♪
♪ Stand straight ♪
♪ Walk proud ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ We can be free ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ When we're free to love ♪
♪ Anyone we choose ♪
♪ When the world's big enough ♪
♪ For all different views ♪
♪ When we all worship ♪
♪ From our own kind of view ♪
♪ Then we shall be free ♪
Come on, y'all.
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
Come on.
♪ Have a little faith ♪
♪ Hold out ♪
♪ 'Cause we shall be free ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
KNIGHT: I like this part.
♪ Stand straight ♪
♪ Walk proud ♪
♪ Hold out ♪
♪ Have a little faith ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Hold out ♪
♪ We shall be free ♪
Come on, do it with me.
Here we go.
♪ We shall be free ♪
♪ Stand straight ♪
♪ Have a little faith ♪
♪ Walk proud ♪
♪ 'Cause we shall be ♪
♪ Free. ♪
I like that song!
♪ ♪
I love that song!
Thank you so much!
(cheering)
Good night, everybody.
ESTEFAN: It's been a wonderful celebration
for this year's honorees.
We look forward to the time
when we can once again gather together
inside the Opera House.
We'll see you then.
ANNOUNCER: Reconnect with the arts.
Reconnect with travel.
Delta is proud to be the official airline
of the Kennedy Center Honors.
Delta. Keep climbing.
♪ ♪
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org