Words by guest columnist Adam Micallef
“I’m not coming back for everyone, but I’m coming back for you Toronto!” — Ms. Hill
On a frigid January night in Toronto with temperatures dipping down to minus 15, 2,500 dedicated Lauryn Hill fans lined up outside the Sound Academy. As they battled bone-chilling winds standing in a line that stretched half a block from the venue located on Toronto’s waterfront, fans clamored about the rumors surrounding Ms. Hill’s recent U.S. shows. “I heard she was four hours late for her New York show!” “As long as she does some Fugee tracks, I’ll die happy.” Once the doors swung open, the line moved quickly –perhaps Lauryn’s lyrical content caused security to forgo the pat down’s customary at most hip-hop shows; regardless, the fans who sold out the venue less then seven minutes after the on sale were just content to be out of the cold.
Just before midnight Ms. Hill, accompanied by her eight-member band and three backup singers, took the stage, much to the delight of a crowd that had begun chanting “Lauryn! Lauryn!”. After a quick greeting Ms. Hill informed the crowd that she wanted to start the night off with “loving vibes” as she belted out Bob Marley’s “Forever Loving Jah”. Performing it in typical “Marley jam-band fashion”, which turned out to be a prelude to the rest of the night. As she moved into her own material she warned some songs had been “reworked a bit.”
First she hit the audience with “Lost Ones”. Instantly 2,000 camera phones lit up the club. No one seemed to care that the R&B flavour Ms. Hill was famous for was being drowned out by the screeching of the four guitarists who – although clearly talented musicians -gave her music a rockin twist foreign to many of Hill’s followers. To her credit, Lauren did her best to curtail their effects, often barking commands at her band like an army general in the midst of battle.
After several sped up rock versions of classics like “Ex-Factor” and “When It Hurts So Bad”, the once exuberant crowd had calmed almost completely. A few fans even passed out, possibly from the extremely crowded confines of The Sound Academy or possibly because they had come expecting a mellow R&B atmosphere and were unprepared for the physical toll of a rock concert. Who’s to say really. With genuine concern for her fans, Ms. Hill paused to ask security if the fans who had to be carried out were ok. Some fans took this opportunity to pass gifts onto the stage. Lauryn took her time embracing the moment and after receiving flowers and a hand made garment from Nigeria she signed a quick autograph and continued with the show.
Then the moment we’d all been waiting for: “How many Fugee fans do we have here?” The crowd erupted like an Icelandic volcano. Ms. Hill proceeded to belt out “Ready or Not”, “Fugee La” & my all time favorite “Killing Me Softly” with even more passion then her previous material. She even made a valiant attempt at rapping both Wyclef and Pras’s verses.
After stepping off stage briefly, Ms. Hill returned for an encore that began with “Turn The Lights Down Low” and ended with a stunning performance of “That Thing”. Before leaving the stage for good, she made T.O. fans a promise: “I’m coming back!” and just so we knew how special we were she followed that promise with, “I’m not coming back for everyone, but I’m coming back for you Toronto!”
