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Live Tonight on Millennium Stage:
Please note: This is now a standing room only show. Seating will be provided to patrons with disabilities.

Rare Essence, a.k.a. The Wickedest Band Alive, has been Washington, D.C.’s premier Go-Go band for more than the last four decades. Mentored by the Godfather of Go-Go as young teens, Rare Essence would be one of Chuck Brown’s earliest (and have remained his most enduring) progeny, with a consistently combustible live show honed through countless performances. They have built a devoted fan base that spans multiple generations. Originated in the mid 70s by the late Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown, Go-Go links songs together over percussion breakdowns. It’s a raw, non-stop party groove fueled by congas, cowbells, and timbales, with call and response interactions that obliterates divisions between a band that doesn’t stop playing and audience that won’t stop dancing. Go-Go thrives live and that’s where reputations, and legacies, are cemented. The band was dubbed “The Wickedest Band Alive” by rap pioneer Doug E. Fresh, with the Washington Post noting in a review, “...this band has performed more than 5,000 times. Like so many Rare Essence concerts, it’s easy to believe you’re seeing the best one.”

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