Lauryn Hill delivered a polarizing performance last night at the Uptown

Lauryn Hill
Uptown Theater
Monday, June 16

For the full slideshow from last night, go here. 

There are a lot of things you begin to wonder when you’re waiting for Ms. Lauryn Hill to take the stage. Like, how is it earthly possible that venues can continue to get away with charging $12 for a Boulevard beer and $4 for a bottle of Costco water? What kind of devil-worshipping Uptown Theater employee is holding back on the air conditioning controls? And, finally, as you incredulously check your watch to confirm that, yes, Hill is indeed over an hour and a half behind her scheduled start time, you begin to doubt if the ex-Fugees star is planning on showing up to her own party – or, indeed, if she is even in Kansas City.

But Hill is notorious for her tardiness. Even as the wait dragged on, it was to be expected. Hill did arrive, finally, and at 9:38 p.m. her band filtered on stage, putting the DJ to bed. The poor guy started off strong, spinning old school R&B tunes at 9 p.m., but after 20 minutes, the crowd – which had initially been supportive – quickly grew contentious as chants of “Lauryn!” and “Start the show!” rose up.

Hill began the show with a cover of her late father-in-law’s song “Soul Rebel,” and she sang the first verse from offstage as her three back-up singers swished in front of their microphone stands. It seemed, in those few moments, as Hill’s crystalline vocals came to us live, that all would be forgiven. She strutted out onstage, full of purpose, dressed in a floor-length black skirt, white quilted jacket and stylish baseball cap, and positioned herself in front of her microphone. As the song continued, she gestured wildly to her band, seemingly directing her players to play bigger, louder, faster. They complied. 

It was an intoxicating five minutes, as “Soul Rebel” bled quickly into a speedy reggae cut of “Killing Me Softly.” Hill’s voice still cuts like a diamond, a powerful and chilling instrument that time has not touched – the same voice that broke ground with 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and carted off four Grammy Awards.

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But if the crowd was looking for a nostalgia trip – which would have been fair, given Hill’s most recent solo album, MTV Unplugged 2.0, came 12 years ago – there would only be disappointment. Hill pushed through cuts from Miseducation at a breakneck pace, and the songs themselves were rehashed so thoroughly that it was hard to recognize them and follow along.

The show was a sort of emotional tug-of-war; there were plenty of things to like about Hill’s performance (and, oh, how the crowd wanted to like everything), but they were too often overshadowed by her larger mistakes. She was sublime when she spit rapid-fire rapped verses in “Everything Is Everything,” twisting and playing with language like it was nothing to her (and it probably wasn’t). She was a vision as she danced and flapped her arms like the conductor for a grand orchestra in “To Zion.” But by “Lost Ones,” the bass was cranked up so loud that Hill’s vocals were no longer at the fore – and that, more than anything else that happened last night, was a true tragedy.

The audience seemed at odds: Some people were content just to be in the same room as Hill; others, who had paid upwards of $60 for tickets, were clearly unenthusiastic about the way the night was going.

Things perked up when Hill took a set break (a rather longish one) and reappeared, acoustic guitar in hand, for a version of MTV Unplugged. The cheers were loudest for “Mr. Intentional,” when Hill’s smoky voice was like a layer of velvet over the room. As she wrapped up a stirring rendition of “Oh Jerusalem,” she unguardedly responded to the adulating audience: “I love you back,” Hill said, smiling. “I love you back.”

A few brief songs, and the midset repose was over. Hill took another (longish) set break before reappearing for the last third of the evening, heavily featuring Fugees cuts. The songs were first received well; Hill demanded that the house lights be turned up during “How Many Mics,” and the support was wild. Hill grooved. The people followed. “Fu-Gee-La” gave things a raging dance-party vibe. These songs were filled by a punchy, re-imagined reggae energy, and for some people that was enough. For most, though, it definitely wasn’t everything.

Setlist (updated since publishing):
Soul Rebel (Bob Marley cover)
Killing Me Softly 
Everything is Everything
Final Hour
To Zion
Lost Ones
Ex-Factor
Mr. Intentional
Adam Lives in Theory
Oh Jerusalem
Just LIke Water
Turn Your Lights Down Low (Bob Marley cover)
I Only Have Eyes For You
Zealots (Fugees)
How Many Mics (Fugees)
Fu-Gee-La (Fugees)
Ready or Not
Killing Me Softly 
Jammin’ (Bob Marley cover)
Could You Be Loved
Doo Wop (That Thing)

For more pictures, go here.