Lauryn Hill and Eric B & Rakim teamed up for the LVL UP festival at Place Bell (photos)

Lauryn Hill
Place Bell
September 21, 2019

21 years after the release of her monumental debut solo album, Lauryn Hill brought The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill anniversary tour to Place Bell as part of the inaugural LVL UP hip hop festival. Lauryn Hill live shows have been a risky proposition for years, with stories of her showing up hours late, and re-working the tracks off her classic debut so drastically so as to render them nearly unrecognizable. Some of those issues were present here; Hill hit the stage about an hour late, and the tracks off Miseducation were each given a radical reworking, with her backing band (including a horn section and three backup singers) adding some major bombast to favourites like “Ex-Factor” and “Everything is Everything.”

Unfortunately, the reworked versions often overwhelmed Hill’s voice, resulting in a bit of a muddled mess as she furiously directed the band with rapid hand movements like a reincarnated James Brown. There was also an ongoing issue with her monitors, which she complained about for the first few opening songs, gesturing angrily at them and running side-stage to speak with a technician (if only the mics were live for that).

Things definitely picked up towards the latter half of the set, which included a long monologue from Hill about the industry struggles she’s dealt with over the decades since her time in The Fugees, along with tackling the notion that she’s “crazy” for wanting to control her career in her own way. Making sure everyone in the arena was standing up, she kicked into her breakout smash “Doo Wop (That Thing),” which led directly into three back-to-back Fugees songs that really lit the crowd up. Somewhat surprisingly, given the reworked Miseducation tracks, The Fugees hits were basically played as they were on record, and really provided a chance for Hill’s incredible rapping to take centre stage, especially on the incendiary “Ready or Not.”

Lauryn Hill may not give her fans exactly what they want, but it’s clear that she is still doing things her own way and presenting her own uncompromising vision of her music, an ethic you have to admire.

Earlier in the night, New York hip hop legends Eric B & Rakim took the stage, delivering a lesson in classic hip hop with tracks like “Paid in Full” and “Don’t Sweat the Technique.” It may have taken a bit of time for the duo to warm up to the cavernous arena, but by the end of their 45-minute set they had the audience up on their feet and dancing along, demonstrating the sort of showmanship and pure talent that have kept them in the game for nearly 40 years.

Scroll below for photos from the night courtesy of Eva Blue.

Lauryn Hill

Eric B & Rakim