MusiCares Person of the Year gala honored the Grateful Dead with performances from many Nashville artists including Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell and Wynonna.

"The Grateful Dead are a lot of things. I would venture to say they are the great American band," declared Andy Cohen at the opening of MusiCares Persons of the Year annual gala on Friday night (Jan.

The venerable band brought out a star-studded entourage who paid tribute, and a sold-out crowd of 2,000, some of whom swapped the gala’s typical black tie attire for tie-dye.