Cultural stars, politicos and the power of the arts combine to make a memorable evening for the annual celebration of music and film.
Sophia Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola
The sauce was in the pan.
That line, spoken by legendary director Martin Scorsese, was how he opened a story about the 2024 Kennedy Center honoree Francis Ford Coppola last night. He then told a funny and ingenious anecdote about Coppola’s passion for filmmaking and making pasta sauce among friends who were all supposed to be screening a rough cut of Scorsese’s The Last Waltz.
Bonnie Raitt
From there, we learned about Coppola’s gift of walking to the edge of possibilities and pushing through, all with the help of the filmmaking family he created over the years. Some of Coppola’s Godfather cast members were in the house—including Al Pacino and Robert DiNero (the latter even played piano briefly)—to pay tribute to the master.
Host Queen Latifah
Year after year, the Kennedy Center Honors manages to pull off a nonpartisan bow to the arts, with a White House celebration before the evening’s pomp and a declaration that every corner of the country deserves recognition for the cultural tapestry we represent.
One of those corners is Harlem. The Apollo Theater is the first institution the Kennedy Center Honors has tapped to receive its annual distinction. Opened in 1934, the venue launched countless careers, from Ella Fitzgerald to James Brown. DC comedian Dave Chappelle lauded the intensity of the Apollo by recounting the first time he performed there at age 15. He’d won a local DC comedy contest. The prize: Take a bus to New York and stage his comedy routine during amateur night.
Dave Chappelle
Chappelle nodded to a tree stump on the stage, a replica of the Tree of Hope at the Appolo, rubbed by performers for good luck by those hoping to make it big curing amateur night.
“The s--- doesn’t work,” Chappelle recalled about his rough debut. He noted the crowd booed him off the stage. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The Black community agreed on something!”
Despite that rocky start, his affection for the historic venue was evident: “The Apollo Theater was a church where we could talk like ourselves, to ourselves,” Chappelle reflected, highlighting its cultural and communal significance.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus served as the segment host for honoree Bonnie Raitt. Dreyfus said the blues musician and activist always felt like “she was all mine.”
Reflecting on Raitt’s activism, the comedian quipped, “It really makes you feel like crap but in a really good way.” Meanwhile, Raitt’s musical friend of 50 years, Jackson Browne, reminisced about meeting Raitt for the first time, saying she “looked like Little Orphan Annie and sounded like Mae West.”
Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris
Female musical luminaries, including Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile and Emmylou Harris, said the same before singing Raitt classics like “Angel From Montgomery” (Harris performed with Dave Matthews) and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Crow and Carlile). Keb’ Mo’ and Susan Tedeschi performed “Walking Blues,” and James Taylor, Browne, Arnold McCuller and Crow covered “Nick of Time.”
The tribute to trumpeter Arturo Sandoval brought boundless energy to the evening as Trombone Shorty, Chris Botti and Cimafunk unleashed a vibrant medley of Afro-Cuban melodies. Funky beats propelled flamenco dancers amplified by a neon-hued backdrop that bathed the Opera House in dynamic light.
Brandi Carlile
Actor Andy Garcia, who portrayed Sandoval in For Love or Country, noted that the musician risked everything to defect to the United States. Sandoval’s music, banned in Cuba, was a shout in the face of his oppressor. Art and music prevailed, and we are the beneficiaries of that magic.
Chloë Sevigny
The evening’s crescendo was the Grateful Dead. You know you have diverse street cred when Ben and Jerry (of ice cream fame), Nora Jones and the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all declare their undying affection for your craft.
Grace VanderWaal
An all-star ensemble (Maggie Rogers, Sturgill Simpson, Leon Bridges, Don Was, Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi) delivered vibrant renditions of Grateful Dead classics such as “Friend of the Devil,” “Ripple,” and “Sugaree.” They also performed “Not Fade Away,” a Buddy Holly classic that the Dead famously made their own.
J'Nai Bridges
During a video tribute, John Mayer, who toured with the band’s rendition of Dead Again, said people sometimes tell him they’re not into the group. His reply: Give it time. You will be.
The same could be said for any of the five honorees last night. If you haven’t discovered their unique genius, dive in. The payoff will last a lifetime.
The Kennedy Center Honors airs on CBS on Dec. 22 at 8:30.
Photography by: Tracey Salazar
