In Performance at the White House: Celebrating the Music of Paul McCartney on PBS

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder perform "Ebony and Ivory" at a concert honoring McCartney, recipient of the Gershwin prize, in the East Room of the White House. June 2, 2010. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton.

One of the highlights for the Music Division this year was the recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Music. But even the lucky few of us who attended the Gershwin Prize concert at the Coolidge Auditorium got only a glimpse of the all-star line-up who would perform at the White House. Wednesday night on PBS we can all see tomorrow’s legends perform for a very select audience that included Sir Paul McCartney and President Obama.

Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song In Performance at the White House, a PBS music special produced by WETA produced in association with the Library of Congress, airs on Wednesday, July 28 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide, followed by an encore presentation at 9:30 p.m. The program features performances by Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, the Jonas Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dave Grohl, Faith Hill, Emmylou Harris, Lang Lang, and Jack White, with commentary by Jerry Seinfeld.  See clips from the concert on the PBS website or on their  YouTube channel, where you can watch David Grohl singing “Band on the Run” and Jack White singing “Mother Nature’s Son.”

Update: the entire concert is now on-line at PBS.  See also an interview with Paul McCartney that takes him through the Library’s collections here.