Sheila E and The E-Train

Sheila E. comes to TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht with The E-Train on April 4, 2026. A percussionist, singer and bandleader from Oakland, she was raised in the musical Escovedo family and early on developed a distinctive timbales and drum style with an Afro‑Latin drive. She made her name on the West Coast funk, jazz‑fusion and R&B scene, played with George Duke and in the early 1980s entered Prince’s orbit, which launched her solo career. Albums such as The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600 and the eponymous Sheila E. blend funk‑pop, the Minneapolis sound, rock accents and Latin rhythms; later she explored contemporary R&B and spiritual jazz while maintaining a persistent focus on percussion.

On stage, rhythm takes centre stage. With The E-Train, Sheila E. moves effortlessly between tightly grounded grooves and open, expansive passages in which percussion, bass and horns propel one another. The set traverses different chapters of her catalogue, from hits to instrumentals, leaving room for harmonies and improvisation. It’s a concert led by pulse, where every break and fill forges a fresh link between funk, Latin and pop.