Taking the stage an hour late wearing a tie-dye hoodie, an oversized jean jacket and an explosive white dress, Ms. Lauryn Hill demanded respect throughout her hour and a half, heart wrenching performance of her iconic album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
The evening began with a bumpy start as the rumors and articles of Lauryn Hill arriving late to performances held true on Monday night. The Isleta Amphitheater stage was left vacant for more than an hour as many attendees began to wonder if she was going to cancel her performance and just not show. For most people waiting an hour was nothing, as most concert goers had been waiting for 20 years to experience Hill’s live performance.
All I can say is the show was well worth the wait. Ms. Hill did all but disappoint. Her ability to rap breathless bars wasn’t affected by Albuquerque’s elevation or the cold she admitted to having, neither was her ability to produce pitch perfect cries of heartbreak.
If listening to Ms. Hill’s songs on headphones is the equivalent of looking at a 2 dimensional painting, than seeing her perform live was like watching her take that painting and make it into a 3 dimensional sculpture.
On almost all of the song she performed Ms. Hill altered, elongated and breathed new life into the 20-year-old tunes as she took her played out tracks and structurally rearranged each one into what was now an abstract expression of the original song.
Throughout her performance images of black men and women in America and African villages flicked off and on. Hill’s rendition of her track “Forgive Them Father” was accompanied by the now infamous videos of black men and women being arrested and harassed by police.
Her cries of “forgive them father for they know not what they do” takes on new meaning in the context of police brutality focused on black America. This specific song marked the emotional epoch of the evening, as the talkative lawn section fell silent and tears could be seen running down the cheeks of moved concert goers.
Songs “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song” were unexpected but highly welcomed songs to throw into the setlist, causing couples to hug and kiss while friends danced the evening away.
Her ability to create a safe atmosphere for people to enjoy their experience was overlooked by many, but easily enjoyed by all.
The performance of “Ex-Factor,” “To Zion” and “Doo Wop” were expected and beloved as she belted her passion into the open brisk air. The closing song was an unforeseen cover of Drake’s now famous “Nice For What?” For the first time in the evening Lauryn offered something completely fresh and unreleased as she rapped over her own familiar sample. She rapped “see this is ‘Ex-Factor’/he took the sample/My s**t is classic/here’s an example.” A version of this unreleased remix can be found on Pitchfork.
There are few performances I recommend seeing at any cost — my list consists of A Tribe Called Quest, Kendrick Lamar, Florence and The Machine and now Lauryn Hill. An artist of her caliber and skill is incredibly rare and should be experienced by as many people as possible.
Lauryn Hill’s performance was in its simplest form a monumental event that represented decades of fan dedication and 20 years of an undying classic album.
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Colton Newman is the photo editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted by email at photoeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Coltonperson.
