ATLANTA — The night included gospel hymns and “America the Beautiful” and the B-52s lighting up the Fox Theater, one of the oldest auditoriums in Atlanta, with a performance of “Love Shack.” In one moment, the crowd was on its feet as Angélique Kidjo, the acclaimed Beninese musician, sang and danced. In another, they shimmied and sang along to a cover of “Ramblin’ Man.”
The collection of artists and performances transcended generations, genres and geography. But one thread bound them together Tuesday night: affection for former President Jimmy Carter, which they were eager to express in celebration of his coming 100th birthday.
“You can see he had a relationship to music; look at how we gathered here together tonight,” said country singer Carlene Carter, who is not related to the former president but said he still feels like kin. “He used it as a powerful tool to bring people together.”
Carter’s actual birthday was still almost a couple of weeks away, and Carter himself was 160 miles away, at home in Plains, Georgia, where he has been in hospice care for the past 19 months. But the concert was intended as a gift, one that will be broadcast as a special on Georgia Public Television on Oct. 1. The family said he plans to watch as part of his birthday festivities.
The concert in many ways mirrored the scope and ambitions of the man it was celebrating: global and idealistic in its reach, but firmly planted in Georgia, molded by religious and cultural traditions as well as the rich but complicated history of the rural South.
Carter’s political career and the humanitarian efforts that defined his legacy after the presidency took him to far-flung places. He forged close relationships with powerful leaders and rock stars and collected accolades, including a Nobel Peace Prize. Yet for all his journeys, the destination was always Plains, his tiny hometown, where he still lives in the simple ranch house that he and his wife built in 1961.
The night in Atlanta sought the same balance. There were plenty of nods to Plains, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there.
In a clip played during the concert from “Jimmy Carter: Rock &Roll President,” a 2020 documentary, Bob Dylan said that the former president reminded him of the protagonist of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Simple Man,” repeating some of the lyrics:
Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You’ll find a woman, yeah, and you’ll find love
And don’t forget, son, there is someone up above
There were also recorded messages from other former American presidents (with the exception of Donald Trump). Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger told the love story behind his marriage to Rosalynn Carter, who died last year.
Throughout the night Tuesday, one person after the next lavished him with superlatives: “Our forever president” (singer-songwriter Michael Trotter Jr. of the married duo the War and Treaty); “mighty fine man” (Carlene Carter); “an environmental god” (Hannah Hooper, a lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Grouplove); and “biggest Braves fan” (Terry Pendleton, a former infielder for the Atlanta team).
“You are most definitely the rock ‘n’ roll president,” musician Dave Matthews said in a video message played during the concert.
It is a distinction that might seem unlikely, given Carter’s reputation for being straight-laced and earnest. But his relationship with the Allman Brothers Band, one of the most popular groups in the country at the time, showed another dimension of Carter when he was pursuing his bid for the presidency in 1976.
On Tuesday night, Chuck Leavell, who was part of the band, recalled when Carter, then the governor of Georgia, dropped by a recording session in 1973. Everyone assumed it would be a photo opportunity, a quick drop-in, Leavell said. Instead, he stayed, asking probing questions about their music and the recording process.
When Carter began his presidential campaign, the Allman Brothers put on a series of shows that raised funds for his campaign.
“We were so proud of his administration and all the accomplishments that he made,” Leavell said. “We’re proud of everything he’s done since then. We are proud of him right now.”
The hundreds of people packed into the theater grew livelier as the night went on. Cheers erupted over Leavell’s performance of the Allman Brothers’ instrumental tune “Jessica.” Then the crowd roared again as Paige Alexander, the CEO of the nonprofit Carter Center, hailed the progress toward achieving Carter’s goal of wiping out Guinea worm disease in his lifetime. (She recorded the video message in Chad, where just two cases of the parasitic condition had been reported this year, she said.)
When President Joe Biden appeared in a recording, the audience’s boisterous reaction nearly drowned out his message. “You’re one of the most influential statesmen in our history,” he said in words directed to Carter before the cheers roared.
“Thank you, Joe!” some in the audience bellowed back.
Much of the praise heaped on Carter focused on his accomplishments after leaving office, including the work of the Carter Center, which grew into a sprawling organization with a focus on everything from monitoring elections to eradicating diseases.
In a recording, comedian Jon Stewart noted that because of Carter’s long association with Habitat for Humanity, there are families today living in homes that Carter helped build. “He gets his hands dirty,” Stewart said. “He changes lives for the better, and if he has to go person by person to do it by hand — by God, that’s what he’s going to do.”
Stewart apologized for not attending in person. “I told President Carter I will be there for the 200th, which will happen,” he said.
There were plenty of references to the former president’s longevity. “This is the first time ever people have come together to celebrate a 100th birthday of an American president,” his grandson, Jason Carter, said.
In an interview before the concert, Jason Carter said he hoped his grandfather might find joy in hearing artists he recognized and songs he has listened to throughout his life: India.Arie, Drive-By Truckers and Eric Church. BeBe Winans, the gospel performer, sang “All to Thee,” and Carlene Carter sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” — a song generations of her forebears, the Carter Family, have performed and recorded. Also on tap were plenty of Allman Brothers songs he’d surely recognize: “Midnight Rider” and “Blue Sky.”
“I have been worried about whether or not he’s having any real experiences anymore,” he said of his grandfather’s time in hospice care. “I just worry he’s not enjoying himself.”
Even with all the talk about the singularity of his grandfather’s achievements and what he has meant to the country, the night was ultimately not about honoring a statesman or a humanitarian. “Really,” his grandson said, “it’s about him as a human.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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