Although the occasion took place on March 20th at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., footage has now been released by PBS of the landmark event. Other performers included Maren Morris, Jacob Lusk, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Annie Lennox.
The ceremony was hosted by Billy Porter, who was in charge of a memorable night that saw John and Taupin receive the Gershwin Prize for ‘Popular Song’. With the win, the duo follow in the footsteps of icons including Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, and Lionel Richie.
During the show, Metallica took to the stage to cover ‘Funeral for a Friend’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding. Meanwhile, Mitchell, who has only returned to playing live in the last two years, dazzled the crowd with a rendition of ‘I’m Still Standing‘ with the assistance of Carlile and Lennox.
Although Elton has officially retired from touring, he is still an active performer and closed out the ceremony with a rousing mini-set. John sang ‘Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters’, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’ before welcoming Taupin to the stage for ‘Your Song’.
Before the ceremony, John said of the award: “I’ve been writing songs with Bernie for 56 years, and we never thought that that one day this might be bestowed upon us. It’s an incredible honour for two British guys to be recognised like this. I’m so honoured.”
