Review: Too little, too late from Lauryn HillBy Katrina T. Gathers
Publication: The Day
Let's start with the good things that happened at Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday night: Lauryn Hill showed up, with band and back-up singers in tow; DJ Rampage did an excellent job of playing hip-hop hits that made the crowd sway in their seats; and the stage looked amazing, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and the name of her 1998 solo debut "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" hanging from the ceiling.
That's about it folks. That's all I've got.
The list of not-so-good, I-can't-believe-it things was so extensive and annoying, I'd likely run out of space before I can tackle them all. But let's try anyway.
It's become typical for artists to make their fans wait up to an hour after the scheduled start time to take to the stage. I don't know when that became the norm, but it happens more often than not. So when the lights dimmed at 8:52 p.m., I thought "OK, she's gonna be out soon. She won't make us wait all night. We'll have time to get wings after the show."
Not so. The deejay came out and for the next hour alternatively talked to the crowd, played music and personally irritated me. For example: "Are you from Connecticut? I thought I was in Connecticut. Make some noise!" And then: "As we're getting closer to show time, I'm warming up the crowd for Ms. Lauryn Hill!"
Really, dude? Judging by the comments that were flying around me, and by the number of people who had already left after tiring of the long wait, I don't think Mr. Rampage needed to raise the temperature in the room any higher.
At 9:38 p.m., three more people in my row walked out. At 9:57 p.m., the deejay swore we were 10 minutes from show time. Six minutes later came the back-up singers, and then finally … Ms.Lauryn.Hill.
Even after ALL of that, I held out hope that Hill would deliver the goods, that her time away from the music industry had renewed her commitment to performing well for her fans. I held out hope that her two-hour delay meant that she wanted her vocal chords fully warmed so she could give us a powerhouse performance.
Again, not so.
Now, I understand that during concerts, many artists take the opportunity to try out a new, remixed version of their popular hits. I'm all for change. But what's terrible is when I know all of an artist's songs, and I still can't understand the lyrics until the back-up singers chime in.
"Lost Ones," "When It Hurts So Bad," and "Superstar" were barely recognizable. One of the many appealing things about Hill is the raspyness of her voice, especially when she hits her high notes. There were no high notes being hit Saturday night, at least not by Ms. Hill. And not much "singing" either, although she wasn't too bad when she rhymed.
After performing "Ex-Factor," Hill gave us a bit of insight into what's been going on in her life. Although she doesn't believe in talking too much, she says there will be "a time to explain why it's been such a long time between then and now," referring to her debut CD and current tour.
"When I made this album, I put my heart and soul into it. And with that came a lot of controversy," she said. "I hope you're doing what you love to do, uncompromised and unashamed, just as I'm trying to do."
Well said, Ms. Hill. It seems that she's finally come full circle, and I'm happy for her, but I wish her voice/performance matched her enthusiasm.
I was most disappointed with "To Zion," a beautiful song written in tribute to her now 14-year-old son. It talks about how many people encouraged her not to have him, saying it would ruin her budding career. But instead, she followed her heart and gave birth to a child that has changed her life. A lovely song with an amazing message, but the horrible feedback on the mikes combined with Hill's lackluster voice didn't do it justice.
She wrapped the night with several hits she made as part of The Fugees, such as "How Many Mics," "Fu-Gee-La," and "Killing Me Softly." I'm certain there were plenty of fans in the thinning crowd who appreciated the effort Hill put forth. But I wasn't one of them.
www.theday.com/article/20111219/ENT10/312199973/1044 
I believe that Lauryn is going to continue to be plagued by mostly bad reviews, and I agree with pbsmd and feel that (some) people go to Lauryn's concerts "anticipating that she will be late and her songs won't sound like they did in 1998." It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when their expectations become reality.
