Cosmic Echo Live: Richmond Celebrates the Life & Legacy of Lonnie Liston Smith
Cosmic Echo Live to Celebrate Jazz Legend Lonnie Liston at Richmond’s Hippodrome Theatre on September 13.
For Immediate Release
Friday, August 14, 2026 | 3:00 PM
RICHMOND, Va. — On September 13, 2026, Cosmic Echo Live will take over Richmond’s historic Hippodrome Theater for a one-night-only celebration of the life, music, and continuing legacy of Lonnie Liston Smith, the legend whose sonic innovations helped define cosmic jazz and became foundational to rap, hip hop, and global DJ culture.
With Lonnie joining the celebration in person, the evening will bring together members of Butcher Brown alongside Michael Millions, Mad Skillz, Plunky, Ohbliv, Nickelus F, Ronnie Luxe, and other special guests, bringing music from across his extraordinary career to life on stage.
More than a traditional tribute concert, Cosmic Echo Live will combine live performances with the stories behind Lonnie’s music and exclusive footage from Cosmic Echo, the upcoming feature-length documentary currently in production on his life and legacy.
You can follow the Cosmic Echo Doc & Live Show on Instagram here.
Produced in collaboration with Shockoe Records, The Sunroom, RVA Magazine, VA Hip Hop Foundation, Shockoe Arts & Culture, and Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Millions, Cosmic Echo Live is a collective celebration of one of Richmond’s most consequential musical icons.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Lonnie emerged from New York City’s avant-garde jazz scene, performing alongside towering figures like Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before creating his own sonic language across landmark records like Astral Traveling, Cosmic Funk, Expansions, and Visions of a New World.
That influence continues to reverberate more than fifty-years later. One of the most sampled artists in rap and hip-hop history, Lonnie’s music can be heard through the work of Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, Madvillain, J. Cole, Chance the Rapper, Mary J. Blige, and countless others, while also becoming foundational to DJ and club culture throughout the U.K. and Europe.
On September 13, Cosmic Echo Live brings that story and Lonnie back home to Richmond.
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