BERTHA: Grateful Drag welcomed Hiss Golden Messenger frontman and noted Deadhead MC Taylor for a tribute to the Grateful Dead at The Kennedy Center ahead of this weekend’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, where the Dead will receive recognition alongside Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, Francis Ford Coppola, and the Apollo Theater.
In a recent interview with L4LM, BERTHA’s Melody Walker said “everyone who sits in with BERTHA gets in drag. It’s a solidarity thing,” and Taylor obliged, emerging in full drag as Walker introduced him as “Miss Golden Messenger.”
“This wasn’t on my bingo card for this year, but damn I’m here for it,” Taylor told the crowd. “We’re starting off the next four years, whatever they have in store for us, this is the energy that’s gonna carry us through,” he added, drawing cheers from the crowd. “I guarantee that.”
Taylor joined the all-star collective of queer and allied Nashville talent for “Brown-Eyed Women” and “Bertha” in the midst of the band’s 90-minute tribute set. He later returned to stage for “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” and instrumental versions of “And We Bid You Goodnight” and “Sunshine Daydream” to close out the performance.
Check out pro-shot video of the full set below (Taylor’s initial sit-in starts at the 36 minute mark).
BERTHA: Grateful Drag – Kennedy Center Millennium Stage – 12/4/24
[Video: The Kennedy Center]