The All-Star “Graceland” Tribute Band with Bakithi Kumalo & Ryan Tennis
Smithsonian Year of Music

January 5, 2019 · Saturday
Doors: 7:30 PM / Show: 8 PM
Learn more here.

$20 General Admission.
Seating is limited and is first-come, first-serve.

– This event is 21 and over –

An Allstar Tribute to Paul Simon's “Graceland”

A tribute set to Paul Simon’s “Graceland” featuring Bakithi Kumalo, the Soweto, South African bassist who played on the album.

In the summer of 2016, Bakithi Kumalo - the original bass player on the Graceland Album - was scheduled to perform his original music at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. From that booking the concept of a “Graceland 30th Anniversary Tribute” was born. Backed by an all-star band and featuring many of the best singers at the Festival, the tribute was a monster hit. Vocalist Ryan Tennis suggested keeping the project alive and assembled a touring version centered around Kumalo, whose iconic bass lines and bright smile bring authenticity to a show that's passion, energy, and pulsing South African rhythms go far beyond that of a standard “tribute band.”

Featuring all of the Grammy-winning hits (“Call Me Al”, “Graceland”, “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”, etc) and performed by some of Philadelphia's finest musicians (with members of Amos Lee's band and other standouts), The Graceland project is the feel-good, sing-along night of the year.