Elton John Dedicates Performance To Victims Of Sandy Hook Shooting At Grammy Awards
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Gone but not forgotten.
That was the message in more ways than one on Sunday night, as Elton John took the stage with several other big names in music to perform a tribute to The Band's late drummer/singer Levon Helm.
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Before the star-studded group burst into a lively rendition of The Band's 'The Weight,' John gave a shout out to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims, saying their "songs ended way too soon."
The legendary musician was joined by country singer Zac Brown, singer Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Mumford & Sons and Mavis Staples. T-Bone Burnett was the musical director for the tribute.
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There's been an outpouring of respect for Helm in the past few months since he passed away in April, 2012; the Love For Levon tribute concert in October of last year (read our review of that show here) featured some major stars, including Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, John Mayer, Grace Potter, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Mavis Staples, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and My Morning Jacket. A live DVD and CD of that event is due out next month.
Elton John -- who also performed with singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran -- has been a vocal fan of Helm and The Band for decades; one of his sons, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was named after Helm, as was one of his biggest hits "Levon."
