While country music icon Garth Brooks looks on as a Kennedy Center Honoree, Kelly Clarkson moves everybody in attendance with a powerful performance of his classic "The Dance." Stream the full 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors special now on CBS and Paramount+.
This year's Kennedy Center Honors was a bit different due to the pandemic, but the emotion was the same.
Actress/dancer/director Debbie Allen, singer/activist Joan Baez, country superstar Garth Brooks, violinist Midori and legendary actor Dick Van Dyke were honored at the 43rd annual event.
Keep scrolling for a gallery of photos from Garth Brooks's career
Brooks, in particular, was visibly moved when singer Kelly Clarkson performed his song "The Dance," and cheered for her at the end.
Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Dick Van Dyke, Garth Brooks and Midori Gotō pose during the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on May 21, in Washington, DC.
He was also visibly moved by performances of his hits by James Taylor, Jimmie Allen and Gladys Knight.
Debbie Allen's tribute was a bit of a family affair. She was feted by her sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, along with others.
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The format was "re-envisioned" after a postponement in December as a result of the pandemic, according to organizers.
"Performances and tributes were filmed on stages and in locations across the Kennedy Center's iconic campus or recorded virtually throughout the week of May 17-22," a press statement for the event stated.
The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 in Washington, DC, and was named in honor of President John F. Kennedy who, with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy, had championed to raise funds to establish it.
Photos: Garth Brooks through the years
April 26, 1991
Garth Brooks displays the six trophies he won throughout the night, April 26, 1991 at the 26th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Universal City, California. Brooks won for album, song, video and record of the year as well as being named Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
Oct. 2, 1991
Country music singer Garth Brooks tips his hat to the audience at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Oct. 2, 1991, after winning his first award for single of the year during the 25th anniversary of the Country Music Association Awards. Brooks also won the album of the year award. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Oct. 15, 1991
Country music singer Garth Brooks, lower left, poses with "Empty Nest" cast members Richard Mullingan and, from top left, Kristy McNichol and Park Overall during taping of the NBC series in Los Angeles Tuesday, October 15, 1991. Brooks guest-stars as himself. (AP Photo / Reed Saxon)
Oct. 1, 1992
A tearful Garth Brooks is embraced by country legend Johnny Cash, left, as Brooks accepts his Entertainer of the Year award during the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Oct. 1, 1992. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Jan. 31, 1993
Garth Brooks sings the National Anthem as actress Marlee Matlin signs prior to the start of Super Bowl XXVII, Sunday, Jan. 31, 1993 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
March 14, 1995
House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Ga., left, meets with Country Singer Garth Brooks, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, March 14, 1995. Brooks is in Washington to help lobby for continued federal arts funding. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Jan. 29, 1996
Country artist Garth Brooks celebrates after winning one of three awards during the 23rd annual American Music Awards ceremony Monday Jan. 29, 1996 in Los Angeles. Brooks won for favorite country male artist, artist of the year and his album "Hits" won for favorite country album. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Jan. 26, 1997
Country singer Garth Brooks chats with American Music Awards executive producer Dick Clark during the show?s rehearsals, Jan. 26, 1997 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show takes place in Los Angeles on January 27. (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield)
Aug. 5, 1997
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, makes a joke as he presents Country and Western singer/songwriter Garth Brooks with a proclamation Tuesday, Aug. 5, 1997, at New York's City Hall. Brooks will give a free concert in New York's Central Park Thursday, Aug. 7. The concert will also be televised live from 8:00-9:30 p.m. on HBO for those who can't make it. Brooks has sold more albums than any other solo artist in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
April 22, 1998
Presenter Garth Brooks, left, poses with Pioneer Award winner Charlie Daniels at the 33rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Wednesday, April 22, 1998, in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Jan. 11, 1999
Country singers Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks perform during the 26th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 11, 1999. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Feb. 21, 1999
Garth Brooks, a non-roster invitee to the San Diego Padres spring training camp, signs autographs following a workout in Peoria, Ariz., Saturday, Feb. 21, 1999. Fences to keep fans back and special restrictions for media members have been added to the Padres camp because of the celebrity status of Brooks. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Feb. 22, 1999
Country singer Garth Brooks, who is an invited non-roster player of the San Diego Padres, makes a nice back handed grab of a ground ball during Mondays' workout in Peoria Ariz., Feb. 22, 1999. (AP Photo/Ken Levine)
May 10, 1999
Country music superstar Garth Brooks appears at a news conference to promote a new album, “In the life of Chris Gaines,” at Paramount Pictures in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, May 10, 1999. The album is part of a plan to launch a film character for a future Paramount movie called “The Lamb,” in which Brooks will star. The poster behind Brooks is a picture of himself as the movie character, “Chris Gaines.” (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Feb. 21, 2000
New York Mets' Todd Zeile, left, and Entertainer Garth Brooks (1) warm up before taking part in morning practice Monday Feb. 21, 2000, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Oct. 26, 2000
Garth Brooks wipes a tear from his eye as he listens to friends Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and Steve Wariner tell about memories they have shared with Brooks over the last decade Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000, in Nashville, during a celebration of his 100 million album sales. (AP Photo/John Russell)
Nov. 7, 2001
FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2001 file photo, Garth Brooks, left, and George Jones, center, perform their duet "Beer Run" at the Country Music Association Awards show in Nashville, Tenn. The fiddle player at right is unidentified. Jones, the peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and peaked with the heartbreaking classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today," has died. He was 81. Jones died Friday, April 26, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being hospitalized with fever and irregular blood pressure, according to his publicist Kirt Webster.(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, file)
Jan. 9, 2002
Country singer Garth Brooks gets a kiss from Reba McEntire after she presented him the award of merit at the 29th American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Dec. 6, 2003
Country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood arrive at the State Department as quests at a reception for the Kennedy Center Honorees, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003, in Washington. The honorees are being acknowledged for their unique contributions to the cultural life of the nation. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Roggenbrodt Malonson )
March 26, 2004
Country music star and Kansas City Royals non-roster invitee Garth Brooks follows through after hitting a pop-up foul ball that was caught for an out in the sixth inning as Milwaukee Brewers catcher Alex Delgado looks on Friday, March 26, 2004, at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz. The split-squad Brewers lost, 8-7, to the Kansas City Royals. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
June 3, 2005
Country music performer Garth Brooks sings during the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shareholders' meeting in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday, June 3, 2005. (AP Photo/April L. Brown)
Nov. 15, 2005
Country music great Garth Brooks, center, plays flanked by members of his band on a stage set up in Times Square in New York Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. The concert was part of the 39th Annual Country Music Association Awards, being held in nearby Madison Square Garden. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Feb. 8, 2006
Nominee Trisha Yearwood, left, arrives with husband Garth Brooks for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
May 21, 2007
Country and western singer Garth Brooks holds up a wall as he helps build a Habitat for Humanity house in Violet, La., Monday, May 21, 2007. They were working on the 1,000th Habitat for Humanity house in the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina and Rita. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Nov. 6, 2007
Country music artist Garth Brooks talks to the media before a concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Jan. 15, 2008
Country super star Garth Brooks, right, looks on as Hall of Fame NFL football player Troy Aikman, left, plays the video game Guitar Hero following a ribbon cutting ceremony where the duo participated in the unveiling of the new Zone playroom at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday Jan. 15, 2008. The NHL and NHL Player's Association along with Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation combined their efforts to donate the new play room at the medical center. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Jan. 15, 2008
Country singer Garth Brooks, left, looks over at Cook Children's Medical Center patient Maci Drewry, right, 5, of Tyler Texas, as they two play a card game, Go Fish, following the unveiling of the new Zone playroom at the Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday Jan. 15, 2008. The NHL and NHL Player's Association along with Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation combined their efforts to donate the new play room at the medical center. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Jan. 25, 2008
Country singer Garth Brooks performs during a charity concert, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008, in Los Angeles, to benefit the Southern California 2008 Fire Intervention Relief Effort (F.I.R.E). (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jan. 25, 2008
Country singer Garth Brooks performs during a charity concert, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008, in Los Angeles, to benefit the Southern California 2008 Fire Intervention Relief Effort (F.I.R.E). (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jan. 18, 2009
Garth Brooks performs at the Lincoln Memorial for President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural concert Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Jan. 18, 2009
Garth Brooks performs during "We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
June 19, 2009
Singers Frederica Von Stade, left, and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa hold up pictures of conductor John Williams, center left, and country singer Garth Brooks as they perform during opening night at the Hollywood Bowl, Friday, June 19, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
July 26, 2009
Country music entertainers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood wait on the sideline before the start of the World Football Challenge soccer match between Chelsea and Club America on Sunday, July 26, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Mike Stone)
Oct. 15, 2009
Country music star Garth Brooks appears at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. Brooks announced that he's coming out of retirement. He retired in 2000 to spend more time with his three children, and since then has appeared occasionally at special events, awards shows, and charity events. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Oct. 15, 2009
Country music star Garth Brooks appears at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. Brooks announced that he's coming out of retirement. He retired in 2000 to spend more time with his three children, and since then has appeared occasionally at special events, awards shows, and charity events. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Oct. 12, 2010
Garth Brooks, right, joins Loretta Lynn in a song as the Grammy Salute To Country Music honors Loretta Lynn on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn. Lynn was presented the President's Merit Award during the tribute. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Oct. 7, 2012
Garth Brooks tells a humorous story about his friend Kim Williams while introducing Williams for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Oct. 21, 2012
Vince Gil hugs Garth Brooks at the Country Music Hall of Fame Inductions on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)
Oct. 21, 2012
Garth Brooks, right, talks with Ricky Skaggs at the Country Music Hall of Fame Inductions on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP)
July 6, 2013
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performs at the Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, July 6, 2013 in Norman, Okla. (Photo by Alonzo Adams/Invision/AP)
Oct. 27, 2013
Country music singer Garth Brooks pays tribute to Kenny Rogers at the ceremony for the 2013 inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. The inductees are Bobby Bare, the late “Cowboy” Jack Clement and Kenny Rogers. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Sept. 4, 2014
Country music star Garth Brooks, center wearing black cowboy hat, performs with band members kicking off his Garth Brooks World Tour at the Allstate Arena on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, in Rosemont, IL. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP)
Nov. 17, 2014
Trisha Yearwood and husband Garth Brooks attend the 2014 ASCAP Centennial Awards, benefiting the ASCAP Foundation and its music education, talent development and humanitarian activities, at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday, Nov. 17, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Invision/AP)
April 19, 2015
Garth Brooks accepts the milestone award at the 50th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, April 19, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Sept. 10, 2015
Garth Brooks poses with his star on the Music City Walk of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Nov. 2, 2015
Country music star Garth Brooks works at a Habitat for Humanity building site Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Dec. 2, 2015
Garth Brooks performs during the Sinatra 100 - An All-Star Grammy concert at The Wynn Las Vegas, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015. (Photo by Eric Jamison/Invision/AP)
April 3, 2016
Garth Brooks appears on screen via satellite to present the award for album of the year at the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2016, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
July 8, 2016
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood attend a news conference at Yankee Stadium on Friday, July 8, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Nov. 2, 2016
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2016, file photo, Garth Brooks, left, and Trisha Yearwood perform at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Oct. 7, 2019
Country music star Garth Brooks, center, works at a Habitat for Humanity building project Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, are among the volunteers working with former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Nov. 13, 2019
Garth Brooks accepts the award for entertainer of the year at the 53rd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
March 4, 2020
Honoree Garth Brooks performs on stage during the 2020 Gershwin Prize Honoree's Tribute Concert at the DAR Constitution Hall on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Washington. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)
Jan. 20, 2021
Garth Brooks performs during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
May 21, 2021
2020 Kennedy Center honoree Garth Brooks attends the 43nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
