Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream)

Kaleta and Super Yamba Band

Millennium Stage

Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band is fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek, a.k.a. Kaleta. Kaleta's guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill, and more.

Event Information

Video Stream

Program

Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band is fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek, a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria, where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta's guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill, and more.

Kaleta got his start in the late ’70s performing in church and was soon after picked up by iconic Juju master and world music pioneer King Sunny Ade. A few years later the musician Fela Kuti came calling. Kaleta would go on to tour the world playing guitar for the King of Afrobeat in his storied band Egypt 80 through the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Kaleta and his band have also erupted onto the stages and video screens of major music festivals and music publications across the United States. They performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in 2019. They even prompted Action Bronson to stop his own show on VICE TV just so he could hear more Yamba. They also performed on Adult Swim’s FishCenter Live show in 2019. In 2017 they rocked Paste Magazine’s Emerging Music Festival in NYC and after that performance Afropop Worldwide fell in love with Kaleta, saying, “his James Brown grunts have got to be some of the best in the business!”

Ticketing & Entry

For all Millennium Stage performances, a limited number of advance reservations are available on a first come, first served basis. Advance reservations do not guarantee a seat, and patrons are encouraged to arrive early.

Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.

For live Millennium Stage performances free tickets will also be available at the Hall of States Box Office on the day of the performance, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Seating is first come, first served. Standing room is available behind the seated area as space allows.

Terms and Conditions

All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.

Help Inspire Others

Your gift today will provide vital support for our artistic and educational programming, both in-person and online.

More Video to Explore

Digital Stage

Watch extraordinary performances from the Kennedy Center's stages and beyond.

In-Person and Livestreamed Millennium Stage

Wed. - Sat. at 6 p.m. ET

Experience something extraordinary live from the Kennedy Center. Attend in person or watch our livestreams and explore a video archive from over 20 years of great performances.

The Kennedy Center Honors

Explore our deep archive of video highlights from this annual event paying tribute to our nation's preeminent artists with performances by the great stars of today who have followed in their footsteps.

Sponsors

The Jim Johnson Arts Access Endowment Fund
The inaugural supporters of this fund are the Dougherty Family Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Mallory Walker

 

Brought to you by
The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation

 

 

The Mellon Foundation and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

 

The Millennium Stage was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs to make the performing arts accessible to everyone in fulfillment of the Kennedy Center's mission to its community and the nation.