"Not Fade Away" closed out the Kennedy Center Honors at this year's ceremony, just as honorees The Grateful Dead had used Buddy Holly's ode to enduring love to close out hundreds of concerts over the years.

The packed house Sunday night danced in the aisles to the bouncy beat after a night of honoring the Dead and other recipients of the lifetime achievement award for artistic accomplishment: director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt. The venerable Harlem theater The Apollo, which has launched generations of Black artists, also was recognized.

Longtime Deadheads, including actors Miles Teller and Chloe Sevigny and talk show host David Letterman, paid tribute to the band's blend of musical experimentation, longevity and community-building. "Their music fills the universe," Letterman proclaimed.

The choice to honor The Apollo was an unusual one: the first time the Kennedy Center has chosen to honor a specific performance venue.

"The Apollo means so much to so many of us," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said while arriving on the red carpet. Moore pointed to iconic Apollo performances from Lauryn Hill and a young Michael Jackson as treasured memories of his youth.

The tribute to The Apollo highlighted the sheer diversity of art forms showcased at the 90-year-old theater. Savion Glover did a spirited tap dance routine; husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; and comedian Dave Chappelle recounted his terrifying first Apollo performance at age 15.

"Everybody started booing. It was like I was outside my body watching," he said. Eventually Chappelle was rushed off the stage by the theater's infamous "Sandman," but he... Read More