A lot is being made of the fact that Lauryn Hill starts her shows late. Who cares? It’s Lauryn Hill and she’s every bit worth the wait. Powerful, charismatic, fierce, multi-talented – all are equally applicable to Hill and her performance at Hamer Hall. The show is a polished treat.
Filtering in, the crowd is subdued (it’s Hamer Hall after all), but that doesn’t last long. Hill’s DJ is the crowd warmer, providing some authentic scratching and expert turntablism (including, bizarrely, a mash-up involving the Dynasty theme song).
The show is a deft celebration of reggae and rap, with some soul and gospel in there for good measure. Hill hits her straps from the outset and she is awe-inspiring. Her rap is blisteringly fast and she moves seamlessly between that and sublime vocals.
She’s supported by some prodigious performers. Her back-up singers, for one, form a sleek, well choreographed (without being distracting) ensemble, in perfect voice. Hill opens with Rebel, initially off stage, and the crowd is already on its feet. By the time she emerges, the response is rapturous.
She follows quickly with a reggae rendition of Killing Me Softly. In a nice bit of symmetry, she repeats the song later in the set, delivering it with a more customary, soul classy sound.
Zion and Lost Ones are early crowd favourites. During Zion, she splits the crowd for a good, old fashioned sing-a-long. When Hills says “sing,” not only do you do it, you enjoy it. Lost Ones gets a minor reworking as a dancehall track.
During the middle of the show, she takes it down a notch for an acoustic set, performing a medley of tracks off the MTV Unplugged album, delivering some highlight moments. In this part, Hill is in full vocal flight and transports the audience with her to somewhere loftier and more beautiful. We are happy to join her.
Hill finishes with two crowd pleasers, Bob Marley’s Could You Be Loved, an unexpected joy, and, of course, Doo Wop (That Thing). The crowd rushes the front and Hamer Hall is a sea of hands.
BY MEG CRAWFORD
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Loved: The crowd on its feet in Hamer Hall.
Hated: Nothing – there was nothing not to love!
Drank: Diet coke.
