not of this world

i heard about this surprise lauryn hill show in time to get a ticket and so waded back in to the messy santa cruz music scene for what i anticipated would be a unique if pricey treat.

as the above review notes it was definitely unique, with the two hour delay contributing both creeping annoyance and increased anticipation. the best part of the delay was that a nice old hippy couple (willow and ron) that i chatted with while waiting reacted to lauryn’s tardiness be giving me their balcony table as they pursued getting their money back in protest. and later, so many others also left early when they realized they weren’t going to be able to sing along that it left some nice boogy room for the groovier fugees covers at the end. as the review notes it was hard at times to decide if “this [was] a rehearsal of a band that needed much more work, or [if] this was an inspired genius creating new music right in front of her fans,” but she was amazing to watch anyway, offered some nice grooves amidst the oftentimes atonal cacaphony of her band, and as usually is the case at catalyst shows, the crowd provided its own entertaining, if sometimes troubling, side freakshow. from the catholic church to the republican party to fellow music fans, its often bizzare to fathom some aspects the associations you find yourself willingly a part of.

It’s always a challenge to hear a performer stray from the path that made her famous and lose the structures that were played endlessly on radio.

But it can also be one of the greatest rewards. The greatest artists take you somewhere you didn’t expect to be, and make you want to go back for more.

the fairly lame review ends on that note, and while i don’t know what she’s trying to do in this new direction she’s taking her music, or if i’d personally go back for more of much of what was showcased last night, she is lauryn hill, if anyone she’ll be able to pull off playing a bit of a hard rock when she really is a gem…