The annual gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts features personalized tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists.

Simpson’s grown more acquainted with the Dead’s music in recent years, particularly as he joined some of the band for the Dead Ahead Festival in Mexico at the beginning of 2024. He told Uncut magazine that learning Jerry Garcia’s guitar playing gave him renewed inspiration.

The musicians were honored alongside Francis Ford Coppola and Arturo Sandoval in an event that took place on December 8 and aired yesterday on CBS