Erykah Badu headlines the Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Sunday, September 27, with The Alchemist and Smino opening. Tickets start around $73 through Ticketmaster; the show is all ages, doors at 5:30 pm.

Erykah Badu is booked at the William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley, on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Doors open at 5:30 pm; the show starts at 7:00 pm. The Alchemist and Smino open. Another Planet Entertainment is presenting.

The Greek in late September is about as good as outdoor shows get in the Bay Area — the summer crowds have thinned, the evenings are still warm enough to skip the jacket, and the stone amphitheater keeps clean sightlines from even the upper lawn. Badu's catalog, from Baduizm (1997) through the two New Amerykah volumes, is one of the more coherent bodies of work in post-'90s soul, and her live shows tend to run long and loose in a way that suits an open-air setting.

The supporting acts are what make this bill worth a look. The Alchemist — hip-hop's most sought-after producer over the past decade, behind acclaimed records with Freddie Gibbs, Boldy James, and Kendrick Lamar — is not a frequent live performer, and a named slot on a bill this size is unusual. Smino, the St. Louis-bred singer-rapper whose Luv 4 Rent drew heavy critical notice, works in the same jazz-and-soul-adjacent orbit as the headliner.

Tickets are on Ticketmaster; starting prices at the general on-sale in late June were reported between $73 and $97 depending on section (per jambase.com and TickPick), and current inventory may have shifted. The show is all ages — every attendee needs a ticket, strollers are not permitted, and the venue discourages infants, per the Greek Theatre's own FAQ.

The Greek sits roughly a mile uphill from Downtown Berkeley BART — walkable and almost always faster than waiting in post-show rideshare surge. If you drive, aim to arrive before 5 pm; the surrounding neighborhood lots fill on sold-show evenings.

If you've got two hours: catch Smino's full set — he's a stronger live performer than his streaming numbers suggest — find a lawn spot with a clear sightline before Badu hits at 7, then aim to be walking toward BART by 10:30 to beat the post-show bottleneck.