REVIEW

I FINALLY got to see Lauryn live!!! I don't have long so I will make this short and sweet. We arrived at around 9:00 and the line was of course around the corner and down the block. Although we already knew and had tickets my friend asked, "what is this for?" because he just could not believe that LAuryn was here, and a woman simply said "Lauryn Hill." It was about 9:30 when we got into the club and I told my friend, do not expect to see LAuryn before 12:00 a.m. And that is exactly what happened. The DJ was awsome though, if Lauryn had not been there it could have just been a hella good party. But after two hours of just listening to him with no Lauryn people were getting of course upset. There was a part where some drum band came out in the middle of the crowd and played for like 20 minutes making everyone think it was an introduction to Lauryn but when they finished the DJ started back up. Then about 11:40 her band came out and played, some really experimental type jazz improv, like Miles Davis *****es Brew cd. Then as if I was her personal assistant Lauryn walked out on stage at almost 12:00 exactly.

Ok now Lauryn:
First off I was so close I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be that close to Ms. Hill. There was no kind of barricade or security between the stage and the crowd. And I was right there leaning on to the stage actually. She came out with her bohemian vibe a kind of sun hippie dress over some ripped jeans, some high heel boots that I don't know how she was able to stand in so long, and her infamous New York baseball cap over her Afro. She is so small and delicate looking almost like a little porcelain doll that was kind of a shock. But her attitude was definitly not small and delicate. She was in a very good mood, she started off singing over the experimental music, I couldn't hear everything because at first the band was to loud but then I heard her saying feel good over and over. Not to go through every song but she did mostly all of her old stuff off of miseducation. But they sounded like completely new songs. They were all sped up and had a rock vibe to them even Ex-Factor. She barely sung any slow songs. Only one actually "Will you still ove me tomorrow" I could kind of tell that the crowd wanted her to sing the traditional versions of her songs but a lot of people were feeling the new versions. Some of the songs were like Nina Simone singing over *****es Brew and then some were actually like a punk rock meets motown sound. That is the way I saw it any way. HER VOICE!!! Was amazing. But she was singing some songs in a weird key that I have never heard from her before, like almost cartoonish, or like she just sucked the air out of a balloon. I thought it was the mike or some kind of sound effects at first but I guess it was her. I liked it was different and still sounded good. The only unplugged song she sang was Water, which was also sped up and mixed it with I just want you around. Which she would say I just love you want you around, obviously something new because the background singers kept saying I just want you around, and then Lauyrn would look at them and shake her head and sing I love you want you around. It was kind of funny actually because Lauryn was looking at them like "IF these h***s don't get this right and she kept saying and they just were not getting it and in the end even she was giggling about it. She danced and laughed and talked the whole time. She did do that where she ordered the band around a lot but it wasn't as bad as what I have read before, She would kind of sing it like "Turn the Bass Dooowwn" "I said turn the bass down" in a beautiful voice. She told us "Let me know if you can't hear me or what you cannot hear so I can fix it." So of course everybody starting yelling out different stuff, and she would "ok more of me we can do that." I made eye contact with her so many times it was ridiculous. I decided that before she thinks I am completely psycho I better not stare at her so hard, but I jsut want to get her into mental imagery so I woudn't forget anything. She sung "Will you still love me tomorrow," and I swear she looked me dead in my eyes. Then she move the mike to my side of the facing that way even though most of the crowd was facing the front. (OF course my friend said that she was looking at him and moved to that side of the stage for him, but whatever.) So I was feeling this great connection with Lauryn especially when she moved to my side of the stage, and then she said ok just two more songs, still looking in my general direction. And I yelled out "I had to walk" and she looked at me and turned her head so quick that I thought I had offended her. One thing that is evident is that LAuryn has no patience for fools and I guess I went from mysterious fan to foolish fan by suddenly jumping around yelling "I had to walk." She did her little Fugee medley and of course the crowd went wild. Then she walked off stage, and then came back for an encore of Everything is Everything which was once again like punk rock meets motown. Then she said good night and left again and the band played for about 15 more minutes and it was over right around 2:00 so it was a full show. My friend ( who is not as fanatic as me, but still like Lauryn) said it was one of the best concerts he has ever been to. I thought it was extremely good but I wanted her to do some more new stuff, but that is only because I know it, everyone else was satisfied with what she did because those are the songs they know. So all in all she gave a good FINISHED concert that definitly gives the feel that she is back, but definitly not what she was before, not even what she was on the unplugged. But GOD it was a great experience and definitly worth the 40 bucks. I hope to see her again someday. emoticon

Ok not short all but it I had to get it all out...

by lyaninblack (runboard)

Sybille thank you SO much for organising all of these reviews. I really can't read them all right now, cause I'm too tired, but tell me: good or bad?

Pretty good. Just problems with her being late, and the sound. :)