ERJA LYYTINEN - 50TH ROCK BLUES BIRTHDAY
Photo: Elsa Wellamo
ERJA LYYTINEN – 50TH ROCK BLUES BIRTHDAY
Special guests Sami Yaffa, Baskery
Blues queen Erja Lyytinen celebrates her birthday with a special concert at the Helsinki Kulttuuritalo on March 21, 2026.
Internationally awarded guitarist-singer Erja Lyytinen has performed alongside some of the world's top guitarists, such as Sonny Landreth, Jennifer Batten and Joe Bonamassa, and has been the opening act for Tom Jones, Robert Plant and Carlos Santana.
Lyytinen is a live show firecracker who enjoys popularity both at home and abroad with her energetic approach and positive stage persona. The respected guitarist has received the Best Guitarist award at the European Blues Awards in 2017 and was ranked 2nd in Total Guitar magazine's 2020 readers' poll "10 Best Guitarists in the World Now".
In addition, Lyytinen has made history by becoming the first Finnish musician to be nominated for the Canadian Maple Blues Awards in 2022. The guitar solo from the Bad Seed single from the Waiting For The Daylight album, released in the same year, was voted 10th among the best guitar solos of 2022 in a Guitar World magazine reader poll.
In 2024, Lyytinen also received the Angel of Rock award from the British HRH Festival. Lyytinen's album Smell the Roses, released in the spring of 2025, has again received rave reviews in international media and has placed Lyytinen among the best blues/rock guitarists of our time.
"It was clear that I would be celebrating my 50th birthday in Finland with great musicians and friends! The evening is going to be quite a musical fireworks show in the field of rock and roots, as Sami Yaffa and Baskery are both amazing, mind-blowing performers. Do not miss this evening!, says Lyytinen about her birthday party.
The evening will be opened by the Swedish folk, Americana and blues trio Baskery, formed by three sisters: Stella Bondesson (double bass), Sunniva Bondesson (acoustic and electric guitar), and Greta Bondesson (scratch banjo, custom drum kit). Baskery is known for their energetic performances and unique collaborative sound.
Erja Lyytinen and the Baskery band toured France together in 2024, where Erja says she fell in love with the trio's playful roots vibe and the sisters’ wonderful singing melodies and harmonies, and we can now enjoy these at Erja Lyytinen's birthday party in Kultsa!
Sami Yaffa is a rock icon who rose to the top of rock from the mythical Hanoi Rocks. Throughout his career, Yaffa has played with numerous world-famous names, such as Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and the New York Dolls, and has recorded with Slash and Bruce Springsteen, among others. The bass legend will be celebrating Lyytinen's birthday gig with his first solo band, which will feature Janne Haavisto (drums), Emerson Burton (keyboards) and Linde Lindström (guitar).
Sami Yaffa has previously been on Erja Lyytinen's Blue Christmas tour, where their shared energy on stage was sparkling!
About the invitation to play at Erja's birthday concert, Sami says: "It was a great pleasure and honor to receive an invitation from Erja Lyytinen to play at her special birthday gig at the Helsinki Kulttuuritalo. I will also be joined by the musicians from my original solo band, the legendary Janne Haavisto (J.Karjalainen) on drums, Burton (HIM) on drums and Linde (HIM) on guitar. The evening is shaping up to be a memorable event that I can't wait to see."
Tickets on sale on Friday September 26th at 10 AM (UTC+3): https://lippu.fi
Doors 17:00
Baskery 18:30
Sami Yaffa 19:30
Erja Lyytinen 20:45