Biden Talks Grateful Dead at Kennedy Center Honors

As one of his last acts in office, President Joe Biden talked of the Grateful Dead, jams, and the road on Dec. 8. The occasion was the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors, which included the Dead in this year’s class of honorees.

From Jambands:

“In the San Francisco Bay at an inflection point in history, the Grateful Dead have long since transcended 1960s counterculture,” Biden said as he addressed the night’s guests and honorees. “Technical virtuosos fiercely dedicated to their craft, they fused decades and dozens of musical styles to create a whole new American sound. Experimental, innovative, and brave.”

“Their lyrics tell the story of dreamers and rebels, by iconic jams or just a performance, they’re not just that they’re an ongoing conversation with generations of ‘Doo-Dah’ fans with hundreds and hundreds of songs,” he imparted. “Twenty-three thousand concerts from Woodstock to Egypt’s great pyramids. One of the most popular bands ever to be watched live in concert.”

Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and the late Phil Lesh were the only Dead members to receive recognition: The Kennedy Center Honor generally is reserved for living artists; Lesh was included in the honor before his October 2024 passing. Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Jerry Garcia’s daughter Trixie Garcia reportedly was on hand to lend her support.

Grahame Lesh honored his father and bandmates with a rocking performance. Other artists paying musical tribute to the Dead included Susan Tedeschi, Leon Bridges, Derek Trucks, Dave Matthews, and Margie Rogers.

Also receiving 2024 Kennedy Center Honors were Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, Francis Ford Coppola, and — the first arts institution to be so honored in history — the Apollo Theater.

A portion of the Honors show is set to air on Dec. 22 on CBS and to stream on Paramount+.

Read the article at Jambands.

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