(Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna)
The 39th Annual Kennedy Center Honors aired just last night on CBS, and featured legendary ensemble of musicians who came together to celebrate the Eagles, Mavis Staples, James Taylor, Al Pacino and the pianist Martha Argerich. In addition to the various speeches that usually accompany awards ceremonies, many different artists performed a great variety of songs.
Kings of Leon stole the night with their Eagles tribute, including “Take It Easy,” collaborating with Bob Seger, Vince Gill, Juanes, Steve Vai, and Stephen Colbert, who also hosted the event.
The evening ended with arena punch and mass sing-alongs: Bob Seger, who co-wrote the Eagles’ 1979 single “Heartache Tonight,” jabbed his way through the track as the crowd clapped in unison to the heavy beat. All the performers then joined together to sing “Life in the Fast Lane” while Ringo danced goofily in the background.
Bonnie Raitt, Andra Day, and Elle King performed Staples’ classics such as “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “Respect Yourself,” while James Taylor was celebrated by three other country legends themselves, Sheryl Crow (“Fire & Rain”), Darius Rucker (“Sweet Baby James”) and Garth Brooks (“Carolina In My Mind”).
Ringo Starr appeared during the Eagles tribute segment, opening the proceedings with a short speech. “I am honored to be here this evening to honor the Eagles, including my brother-in-law, Joe Walsh, who forced me to do this,” he said. Next, Colombian musician Juanes showed up to deliver a rendition of “Hotel California” alongside guitarists Steve Vai and Steuart Smith.
Check out videos of the event below.
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