Lauryn Hill was on time for her Highline Ballroom show (pics)

photos by Bao Nguyen

“Lauryn Hill killed it a highline tonight. She’s back and in full effect. Kids, nephews, and all.” – Ryan Walker

“Lauryn Hill is a beast. Who God blesses can no one curse. She’s incredible @ Highline Ballroom. ‪#originator‬” – Abby Dobson

Lauryn Hill at Highline Ballroom – 6/2/12

The one-night-only performance was billed as a celebration of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the seminal rap/R&B/reggae opus that launched Hill’s solo career and made her a household name. However, it was no oldies show, as she insisted on reinventing her most precious material at every step. When she launched into a dynamic, lover’s rock rendition of “Everything Is Everything,” it took fans a moment to acclimate to the up-tempo rhythm, but the song ultimately shined. In recent years, Hill has been criticized for restructuring her classics around rambling funk grooves and unfamiliar melodies, but tonight she and her six-piece band struck a worthwhile balance between new, exciting ideas and old, comfort-food standards. [Rolling Stone]

Lauryn Hill played a one-off show at Highline Ballroom on Saturday (6/2) with an opening set by Black Milk and his live band, Nat Turner. As BET points out, she was on time (!), taking the stage at 9:30 for her 20-song set. The show included Lauryn bringing her kids (whose grandfather is Bob Marley) on stage to sing with her, new versions of old songs, and multiple instances where she apologized for being mostly absent from the music industry lately and promised that she “was always on her way back.”

Some are saying that though Lauryn Hill has been known to change up her songs for the worse at shows in the past, the new versions played at Saturday’s show went over really well, and others (like the tweeter above) agree that Lauryn “is back.” Were you at the show? What did you think?

More pictures from the HIghline show (unfortunately none of Black Milk) are below…

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