If there was a run on sequin clothing and wide-frame eyeglasses in D.C. recently, it stands to reason that these items were snapped up by fortunate souls who were in attendance at DAR Constitution Hall last night where the songwriting team of singer-songwriter Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin were honored with the 2024 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Hosted by Billy Porter, the evening kicked off in the most raucous way possible with metal gods Metallica commencing the show with “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” the opening tracks to John’s 1973 double album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. This was not your mother’s Gershwin Awards. Metallica’s performance was so blistering that if the show had ended there, it would have been a sufficient tribute to the pair.

But being that this is the Gershwin Awards—and that the five-plus-decade musical output of John and Taupin is so revered—it’s no surprise that performers from practically every genre of music came to pay their respects.

Accompanied by John’s longtime band (with guest musicians SistaStrings), Annie Lennox (who performed at last year’s Gershwin Prize honoring Joni Mitchell) performed “Border Song,” while Garth Brooks serenaded the audience with “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and “Daniel.” Porter, decked in a fringe dress and ankle boots, channeled Tina Turner during his rendition of “The Bitch Is Back.” Brandi Carlile (who also performed at last year’s event) spoke of discovering John’s music at the age of 11, which she described as transformative for her, and added: “There is not one thing that could keep me away from this evening.”

However, among this lineup of seasoned performers, it was a relative unknown who turned in the performance of the evening. Always one to promote young artists he believes in, John performed with R&B-gospel singer Jacob Lusk during his headlining set at 2023’s Glastonbury Festival and at his annual Oscars party earlier this month. It’s one thing to perform on stage with a concertmaster like John but one would wonder how Lusk would fare on his own. 

In what can only be described as “A Star Is Born” moment, Lusk turned out the most foot-stomping, take-me-to-church revival version of “Bennie and the Jets” that, quite frankly, left the audience gobsmacked. John was so proud and excited about Lusk’s performance that, at the end of it, John—sitting in the front row a few seats away from Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden—limped over (thanks to a recent knee replacement surgery) to Hayden, where the two giddily embraced like they had just watched their baby graduate college. It’s almost unfair to gush about Lusk’s performance when the rest of the world has yet to see it but when they witness what he was able to do in those five minutes, his life and career will change dramatically.

Acknowledging the work that the Elton John AIDS Foundation has done since its inception in 1992 (it has raised more than $600 million in funding for AIDS research and awareness to date), Andrea White, sister of Ryan White who died from AIDS in 1990, read a letter written by John to Ryan 20 years after his passing (while John wiped away tears). Portions of the AIDS quilt were displayed in the hall and Carlile returned to the stage to perform “Skyline Pigeon.”

Mitchell, last year’s Gershwin’s Prize recipient, performed a swing version of “I’m Still Standing” alongside Carlile and Lennox (Mitchell changed some of the lyrics with John’s and Taupin’s permission, which Carlile quipped was “the most Joni Mitchell thing ever”).

Finally, John took the stage to join his band in “Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” which had a false start with John forgetting what key the song is in (in all fairness, he stopped touring permanently in July 2023).

At the end of the evening, when John and Taupin were presented with the award by Librarian Hayden, John spoke passionately about his musical idols growing up.

“Where I grew up as a little boy in suburban London, the only good music that I heard was American,” John said. “British music sucked … and then suddenly I heard ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ by Elvis Presley and my whole world changed… Thank you, America, for the music you’ve given us all over the world. It’s an incredible legacy that you have.”

Taupin, in his acceptance speech, expanded on John’s sentiments. “Pretty much everything that I’ve written emanates from this country,” says Taupin. “Whether it’s the heartland, whether it’s the urban jungle. It’s all been a palette for everything I’ve written.”

In an evening filled with tributes to two Englishmen whose catalog of music will leave a lasting impact on generations long after we’re all gone, leave it to the Brits to remind us how bloody brilliant we can be.

Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song will air at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 8, on PBS and will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.