“Long time no see Melbourne, long time no see” said Lauryn Hill as she arrived on stage to a standing ovation. After a good forty-five minutes of waiting you would think that the audience would have been a little disgruntled. Hill is nothing but clever though, and support was provided by her touring DJ who played RnB favourites until the band came on stage. Ensuring we were anticipating her long before she finally emerged.
Launching straight into a funked up version of ‘Killing Me Softly’, Hill barely gave the crowd time to contemplate whether they could return to their seats. Hits like ‘To Zion’ were given the same revamp, which was a little disappointing to those who prefer to listen to Hill’s voice with as little interruption as possible.
Being four years since Hill was last in Australia however and since her short stint in jail for tax evasion there was really no way to know what to expect from the show, you just had to sit back and enjoy the time Ms. Hill could give.
It helps as well that Hill’s attitude is both commanding and loving at the same time, how could anyone get mad at that voice? It still cuts to the bone like a good quality steak knife some twenty years after her breakthrough role in Sister Act 2. You could tell as well that Hill really cared about putting on a good show and she spoke to the audience with all the poise and care of a matriarch.
“Can we talk about how everything is everything for a minute please?’ she teased the audience, who cheered once more realising they were probably never going to make it into those seats they paid for.
After a solid near-hour of upbeat and revamped songs, there was a brief pause as Lauryn was given a chair and an acoustic guitar. The crowd welcomed the short respite as Hill turned the Palais into a modern MTV Unplugged for a few short songs. Straight back on her feet Hill grabbed the mic, “I can see you’re all sitting down now, though I don’t know how many of you are fans of Fugees…” she said with a laugh as the crowd rushed back out of their seats.
‘Fugee-La’ was given a reggae twist before Hill covered Bob Marley track ‘Could You Be Loved’ and right into a reprised and more downplayed ‘Killing Me Softly’, which satisfied fans of Hill’s vocal range. For those unaware of Hill’s singing skills beyond her back catalogue, be prepared for rapping so fast it disappears into the air (much in the same vain as her recent song release ‘Consumerism’).
Lightning quick she launched into favourite ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’, which sent the crowd home happy. Though it was unexpected to not hear any new tracks from Hill, just know that you’ll get your money’s worth because anytime you’re in the presence of Ms Lauryn Hill, is time you’ll want over again.
Setlist
Rebel
Killing Me Softly (Dub version)
Everything Is Everything
Final Hour
Zion
Lost Ones
Ex-Factor
Unplugged Medley:
Mr. International
Adam
Lives In Theory
Oh Jerusalem
Water
Guarding The Gates
I Get Out
Fugee Set:
Only Have Eyes
Zealots
How Many Mics
Fugee La
Killing Me Softly (original)
All That I Can Say
Could You Be loved
Doo Wop (That Thing)
