The lineup for Elton John‘s upcoming Gershwin Prize tribute taping was announced Wednesday, with the pop superstar’s musical BFF Brandi Carlile not surprisingly among the cast, but also some unusual suspects, like the band Metallica.
Garth Brooks, who was the recipient of the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for songwriting himself four years ago, is also among the cast, along with Annie Lennox, Maren Morris, Charlie Puth and Jacob Lusk of the group Gabriels. Billy Porter will host as well as perform. John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin are also set to appear.
Metallica’s appearance is less surprising upon a look back at the group’s mutual love affair with Elton. He sang their song “Nothing Else Matters” on the “Metallica Blacklist” tribute album and called it “one of the best songs ever written, to me… Metallica are probably the crème de la crème of those kind of bands.”
Some of the other artists involved have covered John songs in the past, perhaps offering some hint of what they might do on the telecast. Morris sang “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” on the “Restoration” tribute album in 2018, and she’s also performed it in concert since. Brooks recorded his version of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” in 2013 and has covered “Rocket Man” in concert. Carlile has often made “Rocket Man” a staple of her shows as well, and she did a duet of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with her hero during his farewell concerts at Dodger Stadium in late 2022.
The band Gabriels, although lesser known in the U.S. than some of the other acts, is clearly a favorite of John’s, as he picked the group to perform at his annual benefit Oscar viewing party in Los Angeles March 10.
As previously reported, the concert formally billed as “Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” will air on PBS stations April 8, in most markets at 8 p.m. local time. It will also be available for streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app.
The show will be taped in Washington, D.C. on March 20. Tickets are not available to the general public.
Co-producing the show are WETA out of Washington, D.C., Ken Ehrlich Productions and the Library of Congress.