Springsteen Receives Kennedy Center Honors
By WENNMonday, December 7, 2009
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was celebrated by U.S. President BARACK OBAMA, STING and JOHN MELLENCAMP as he was presented with Kennedy Center Honors at a star-studded ceremony on Sunday (06Dec09).
Along with Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, jazz great Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry, Springsteen received America’s highest accolade in recognition of his contributions to popular culture at a White House reception and special gala in Washington, D.C.
Mellencamp kicked off a musical tribute to The Boss with a rousing version of Born in the U.S.A., while Jennifer Nettles sang Glory Days, Melissa Etheridge belted out Born To Run and Sting was joined by a choir for The Rising.
Addressing a crowd that included Edward Norton, Matthew Broderick, Ben Stiller and Martin Scorsese, Obama said, “These performers are indeed the best. They are also living reminders of a single truth - and I’m going to steal a line from (First Lady) Michelle here - the arts are not somehow apart from our national life, the arts are the heart of our national life.
“Only a handful of people have tapped the full power of music to tell the American story. One of those people is Bruce Springsteen… I’m the president, but he’s The Boss.”
Springsteen, who received the medallion at an official dinner on Saturday (05Dec09), said he felt honoured to have been selected: “We worked really hard for our music to be part of American life and our fans’ lives. So it’s an acknowledgement that you’ve kind of threaded your way into the culture in a certain way. It’s satisfying.”
Meanwhile, it was an extra special treat for birthday boy Brubeck, who turned 89 on Sunday.
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December 30, 2009: 4:39 pm
Jennifer Nettles sang I’m On Fire. And it was a duet. But she outsang her partner so forgetting him is not as bad as getting the title of the song wrong. |
 Scott |
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