What to expect from Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday concert, from Barack Obama to Angelique Kidjo

He is already the oldest living and longest-lived former US president. But when Jimmy Carter celebrates his 100th birthday on October 1 he will also become the first former holder of the highest office in America to become a centenarian. To mark the occasion, the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia – Carter’s home state – hosted a star-studded celebration in song and speeches late last month. It featured artists such as the B-52s and Chuck Leavell and appearances from celebrities and ex-presidents, including Renee Zellweger, Sean Penn and Barack Obama. The show will be broadcast in the US on his birthday and will be available on demand online. Here are four things to look out for. President Joe Biden was joined by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama to share birthday wishes via video. President Biden described Carter as a “voice of courage, conviction and compassion”. Obama joked that Carter’s great taste in music had “one-upped” his own annual playlist by assembling such an eclectic line-up of musicians to celebrate his birthday. He said that “at a time when so many of us feel so disconnected from each other, Jimmy Carter understands that nothing brings us together in good times and bad like the power of a great song”. Bush praised Carter for having led the fullest of lives. Clinton said Carter’s post-presidential career has set the standard for future leaders to follow in terms impact and legacy. “He began a whole second act with The Carter Centre and showed how much a former president can accomplish,” Clinton said. “And through it all, he's been guided by his faith and the sincere belief that we all have the responsibility to build a better world and have something to contribute in building a better world.” A stirring performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus kicks off the celebration. The performance raises the curtain on a series of epic but short showcases by an ensemble of artists. Rock band Grouplove’s opening number, Tongue Tied , set the tone for this unique concert, which constantly pivoted genre, with the group’s singer Hannah Hooper reminding the Atlanta audience that the band became the first in the US to be United Nations certified as “climate positive”, meaning they commit to saving more emissions than they produce. They rounded off their two-song set with a thumping cover of U2’s Pride (In the Name of Love) . Chuck Leavell was the busiest person on the night, often supporting other acts on keyboard. Making his name with The Allman Brothers Band he performed a stirring take of the group’s signature songs Blue Man and Jessica – the latter is familiar to TV audiences as the theme tune to car show Top Gear . Carter previously credited the band with providing vital support for his successful presidential campaign in 1976. He reportedly said: “They helped put me in the White House by raising money when I didn’t have any money.” American new wave The B-52s have had an on-off retirement since announcing a couple of years ago that they’d stopped touring. Their two-song set of Love Shack and Rock Lobster was a reminder of how their performing powers are undimmed by the passing years. Grammy Award winning Beninese musician Angelique Kidjo had the crowd on their feat with her percolating brand of Afro-pop, while US rockers Drive-By Truckers were on form with a sturdy take of Keep On Smiling. The concert closer had the entire ensemble of artists and performers come together for a stirring take of Ray Charles’s Georgia on My Mind. Described during the concert as the world’s biggest Atlanta Braves fan, the Major League Baseball side based in Atlanta since the mid-1960s, Carter was awarded a special shirt with the number 100 printed on its back. The Braves, who last won the World Series in 2021, also handed out souvenir baseball caps to concertgoers as they spilled out of the theatre at the end of the three-hour extravaganza. This three-hour long benefit was supported by the Carter Centre, the non-profit organisation set up by the president and former first lady Rosalyn Carter in 1982 and the evening’s proceedings were punctuated by reminders of the powerful work the organisation does around the world to resolve conflicts, monitor elections and eradicate disease and by celebrities and personalities contributing anecdotes and well wishes. Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson and chair of the board of trustees at the Carter Centre, told the 4,000-plus audience that they were witnesses to history: “This is the first time ever people have come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of an American president”. Bernice A King, Martin Luther King, Jr’s youngest child and chief executive of the King Centre, said that Carter and his late wife Rosalynn Carter had helped transform Atlanta into a world-renowned hub of human rights activism and advocacy. “I am reminded of your powerful words at the first King holiday celebration in 1986 when you reflected, ‘I would never have had a chance as a southerner to run successfully for president of the United States had it not been for Dr Martin Luther King, Jr … I owe my political life to him.’” Intriguingly, both MLK and Jimmy Carter won Grammys in the best-spoken word category. Dr King was awarded posthumously in 1971 for Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam. Most recently, Carter has won three Grammys in the same category, most recently for Faith – A Journey for All in 2018. Academy Award winning actress Renee Zellweger also appeared to regale the audience on Carter's 77-year marriage to the late former first lady Rosalyn Carter, who died last year aged 96. “She was Jimmy Carter's truest and greatest love … a love that endured more than three quarters of a century. It is a real-life love story of a beautiful small town girl and a handsome farm boy who found each other and never let go,” Zellweger said. Actor Sean Penn, somewhat poetically, illustrated how Carter’s enduring presence over the decades provided respite and inspiration during turbulent moments in US politics and society. “I don't think without having a shot of you we'd have gotten through the pandemic or politics that has transpired since,” he said. “And I know that the medicine that you've made for all of us is going to last forever.” Daily Show host Jon Stewart said Carter exemplified a life of service. “President Carter changes lives for the better and if he has to go person to a person to do it by hand, then by God that's what he is going to do. He is a lesson of living a life by intention, respect and most of all love for people.” Staged at Atlanta’s historic Fox Theatre, itself a mere 95 years old, the venue provided a stunning backdrop to this unique benefit night. Fox Theatre has as Islamic themed ornate stage and architecture, which is said to be influenced by Spanish Moorish architecture and the Temple of Karnak in Egypt. Its Arabian Nights influences include minarets and Persian carpets hung from the rafters. The ceiling of the upper circle is decked out with Bedouin tents and traditional Middle Eastern lanterns. Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday concert will be available on demand from October 1 at gpb.org/jimmycarter100

What to expect from Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday concert, from Barack Obama to Angelique Kidjo

Sean Penn, Renee Zellweger and other stars celebrate oldest living and longest-lived former US president