Jill Scott celebrated her debut album at Kings Theatre (pics, setlist)
“Who is Jill Scott?” is not a question many people ask today, but that of course is the name of her Grammy-nominated debut album. She planned on celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album on tour in 2020 but that got delayed slightly by the pandemic and here we are celebrating its 23rd anniversary now instead. The tour hit NYC on Thursday night at Kings Theatre for its first of two nights at the venue. Photos by Edwina Hay are in this post.
When Jill took the stage to perform Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 in full, she said that people were more than welcome to sing along, and they did. Scott was backed by a full band, including two drummers and a keyboardist stationed on a platform high above the stage. A highlight was her performing an acapella version of “The Star Spangled Banner” where she modified the lyrics and demonstrated her vocal range, which ended with a standing ovation from most of the audience before the band joined in during “Watching Me.” She stated she wrote these lyrics when she was 19 years old and the message is still applicable today when she is 50.
The night ended with a two song encore of “Hate On Me” (from The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3), and “Golden” (her hit from Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol 2).
The night also included a set from Adam Blackstone, who used to be Jill’s musical director and called this tour a full-circle moment, plus comedian Mona, AKA “Don’t Call Me White Girl”. DJ Diamond Kuts warmed up the crowd as they were settling in.
Jill Scott does it again at Kings Theatre tonight and there are a few tickets still remaining. Check out more Night 1 pics below.
