At the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors, Kelly Clarkson sings the Garth Brooks song, ‘The Dance,’ and it was such a moving performance it left Garth in tears!
Garth is a frequent guest on the Kelly Clarkson show. They talk about music, marriage, life and parenting. The friendly couple also share a deep love of country music.
So when organizers of the awards show asked Kelly to help her longtime friend sing “The Dance” at the event, she was thrilled to oblige. Not only because of her friendship with Garth, but because the song has a special meaning and the song even inspired her new and upcoming album!
But the meaning is deeper as the song helped him get over the divorce.
The lyrics imply the depth, work and vulnerability required to live in relationship with others: “Oh, our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain. But I would miss dancing.”
I agree with Garth, better to endure the hard endings than miss the dance of life! Kelly’s performance was a slower version of the 1990 Billboard number one hit, her beautiful voice accompanied only by a piano. The result was an audience that sat respectfully.
The touching performance brought Garth Brooks to tears
As the song drew to a close, Garth could be seen wiping away tears. Then he stood up, took off his cowboy hat and cheered.
Kelly’s performance was incredible! Later in the show, other artists thanked Garth for his incredible talent as his career inspired many of their songs as well.
James Taylor also sang Garth’s song “River”. Garth later posted a photo of himself standing next to James with the caption: “I’m humbled and grateful to everyone who has celebrated this music over the years, this is OUR honor TOGETHER.
To the singers and dancers performing tonight at the show, thank you for making me fall in love with music again. gratitude, respect, love Mr.Garth, we all want to thank you for the wonderful songs that have touched our lives. Thank you for expressing the feelings, emotions, ups and downs we face in life!
Watch: Garth Brooks cries as Kelly Clarkson sings ‘The Dance’