Video: Foo Fighters, Heart and Lenny Kravitz Honor Led Zeppelin at Kennedy Center Honors
The 35th-annual Kennedy Center Honors aired last night, December 26, on CBS, shining a massive spotlight on the rock powerhouse that is Led Zeppelin, who were among the event's honorees.
The special, which was recorded in Washington, DC, on December 2, also honored venerable blues guitarist Buddy Guy and featured Led Zeppelin-centric performances by Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, who performed with Jason Bonham.
Guy received tributes from Gary Clark Jr., Tracy Chapman and Bonnie Raitt, and Jeff Beck performed "I'd Rather Go Blind" with singer Beth Hart in Guy's honor.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were in attendance.
"There was this singer with a mane like a lion and a voice like a banshee," Obama said during a speech honoring the band, "a guitar prodigy who left people’s jaws on the floor, a versatile bassist who was equally at home on the keyboards, a drummer who played like his life depended on it. It’s been said that a generation of young people survived teenage angst with a pair of headphones and a Zeppelin album, and a generation of parents wondered what that noise was all about."
The 90-minute awards show, which also recognized Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman and ballerina Natalia Makarova, drew more than 8 million viewers last night.
Although official clips haven't been released just yet, you can check out some of the show's highlights below, including Foo Fighters (with Taylor Hawkins on vocals) performing "Rock and Roll," Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart (with Jason Bonham on drums) performing "Stairway to Heaven" and Lenny Kravitz digging into "Whole Lotta Love."
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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