Few artists can command a stage quite like Chaka Khan. But for one night in Oakland, the 10-time Grammy-winning diva is trading arena-sized spectacle for something more intimate.
The Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts’ Conversations in Music series promises a stripped-down evening of acoustic performance and unscripted storytelling, giving fans a rare chance to hear Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens, reflect on a career that has shaped generations of R&B, funk and pop.
Hosted by filmmaker and talk show host Chann Berry, the event on Wednesday, May 20, is less traditional concert than living-room conversation with one of music’s most unmistakable voices.
The singer behind classics like “Ain’t Nobody,” “Through the Fire” and “I’m Every Woman” last performed locally in August 2024, when she headlined the Stern Grove Festival finale in San Francisco.