GOT TO SEE @MsLaurynHill & The Fugees!!!! My life is complete yo pic.twitter.com/87quVAP1kK

— Nizaiah (@nizaiah1221) September 23, 2021

The set was filmed by Pulse Films (which is owned by Vice), and presented by Global Citizen, which will apparently air at least part of the show this Saturday, September 25. In an effort to ensure a level of secrecy, phones were ordered to be placed in Yondr pouches for the duration of show (which have been used by other acts including Madonna and Lady Gaga). That didn’t stop fans, though. After the show I discovered a photo of Hill from the show on Twitter. When I asked the person who posted it how they got the shot, she responded, “I broke the phone thingy,” alongside two crying laughing emojis. After discovering a small pool of other photos and videos, I found another fan who broke their pouch. They defiantly tweeted “also thanks for playing #Yonder next time make your stupid fucking pouches stronger.” Moral of the story? Don’t get between Fugees fans and a moment they’ve been waiting a decade and a half for. 

The set was concise, just 7 songs, all from The Score, and one freestyle from Wyclef. It was a taste of what they’ve been cooking for the tour, Hill told the audience between songs. All three were in top form, but of course the MVP of the show was Hill, who was in peak form, despite the ruffles from her dress being uncooperative in the wind (which she joked about mid-show). Watching her effortlessly replicate vocals from a quarter-century ago was staggering, especially considering all the mess that has surrounded her in the years between. Her rhyming was razor sharp, and her vocals were heavenly. All the downtime in between has served her very well. 

The physical setlist that circulated after the show ended also included “Nobody,” Hill’s scene-stealing verse on Nas’ 2021 album Kings Disease II. Curiously, Hill elected to not perform it. At that point in the show, she side-stepped Wyclef’s invitation to kick a few more rhymes. Instead, she spoke on the magnitude of their reunion and the impact the group had (and continue to have) on music. She also reflected on meeting Pras when she was just 12, and being introduced to his crazy cousin Wyclef. 

Then she turned to them and said, can we do that one? The keyboard kicked in and before she uttered “strumming” the audience was ready for their ultimate sing-a-long moment of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Whether this reunion just spans their three-continent tour or reignites the creative juices for some studio time, it’s clear that the Fugees haven’t missed a step in their time apart. Their tour kicks off November 2 in Chicago. 

Setlist:
The Score (Introduction)
How Many Mics
Zealots
Fu-Gee-La
Wyclef Freestyle/Lauryn Talk
Killing Me Softly With His Song
Ready Or Not
No Woman No Cry

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Hours before the show the duo’s second album Love For Sale was announced with an October release date and made available for pre-order. The lead single “I Get A Kick Out Of You” was also released, and a music video was released days later on Friday, August 6. Despite all the fanfare, no music from the new album was performed, though it certainly didn’t detract from the incredible show.

Opening the show with a 10-song set strictly composed of jazz and big band-style numbers, Lady Gaga gave the performance of a lifetime. She was off to the races the moment the bombastic “Luck Be A Lady” began, singing, dancing, and holding no punches. The versatility she possesses as a vocalist and performer can’t be understated. Here is one of the most crucial figures in contemporary pop music, known for outrageous outfits (remember the meat dress at the VMAs?), dressed in an elegant gown and boa, belting the hell out of the standards. She demonstrated her expert vocal control as tackled standards such as the gorgeous Gershwin “Someone To Watch Over Me,” Dinah Washington’s “What A Difference A Day Made,” and Jackie Gleason’s “Call Me Irresponsible.”

For all her singing, she wasn’t short on words. She wove tales and anecdotes into the moments between her songs, making the 5,000+ seat Radio City Music Hall feel as intimate and warm as a jazz club. Before launching into Nat “King” Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky,” she told the endearing story of first meeting Bennett. She’d performed the song during a 2011 charity event for the Robin Hood Foundation where Bennett was in attendance. It was her one deviation in a setlist of contemporary pop material. Upon learning that Bennett would like to meet her, she recalled ordering her team to strip away the “Gaga” of it all so she could look “like a lady” to meet him. It was then that Bennett decreed that she was a jazz singer, and doubled down on his declaration by inviting her to record an entire jazz album with him. It’s a badge of honor she wears proudly, as any Italian girl from New York City would.

She did a quick costume change after a few songs, returning in a gorgeous back gown with white designed by her sister, Natali Germanotta. She segued into her jaw-dropping re-imagination of Cher’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” Before introducing the song she’d like played at her funeral, “Coquette,” she described exactly the urn she’d like to be cremated in, and it’s location outside her bedroom. She doesn’t want to end up “in a pink dress with a bad perm.” It happens, apparently.

In the middle of a thrilling rendition of “La vie en rose,” she descended into the crowd to have a moment with her parents and sister. “Some things are more important than show business,” she declared after returning to the stage to a standing ovation. “You might want to stay on your feet” she advised the crowd as she broke into the classic “Theme From New York, New York” and introduced Tony Bennett, who did not appear. Instead, the curtain dropped.

Moments later, it rose again to reveal Bennett, beaming with a big smile and firmly planted in front of the piano. The crowd leapt to their feet to greet Bennett as the orchestra kicked into high gear. What unfolded next was a barrage of hits that came and went so quickly it was hard to keep up, until eight songs on when he slowed things down with a tear-jerking rendition of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” The musical director gave just a few seconds between songs, which was designed to keep Bennett on track. He clearly wasn’t all there, but he was entirely present when it came to the music. He wasn’t perfect, but he showed no loss of vocal strength. At times the vocal intensity he managed was staggering.

After a gorgeous reading of “Fly Me To The Moon,” Gaga re-emerged in a shimmering gold number and sang “Happy Birthday” to a somewhat bewildered, but smiling Bennett. Afterwards, the duo did three duets that all largely went off without a hitch. Each time, she’d say to him, “Tony, let’s sing (x)” and they’d sing it. As she danced around him during their duets Bennett seemed entertained but unsure of what to do. He’d react with enthusiastic but lost-sounding “woah!’s” and “wow!”’s. For anyone who’s had first-hand experience with Alzheimer’s, it was crystal clear that the disease was shining through. Thankfully, the disease didn’t own nor derail this night.

It’s unclear whether or not the two intended to do more duets, but after a rousing “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” Gaga introduced the band, they took their bows, and the curtain dropped without a “goodnight.” It felt unfinal, and not long after the curtain rose once again to reveal a solo Bennett. He gave one last encore, his signature “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” At the song’s conclusion Gaga returned to retrieve him and the show was over.

Both performances are being taped for MTV, apparently for a documentary.

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I have followed Janelle Monáe since the release of her debut album The ArchAndroid. I guess you could say I was a casual fan at first; I bought the album and enjoyed it, but it ended there. I didn’t invest in learning too much about her. Then, Electric Lady came and I was very much impressed, but that tour didn’t come to New York. With Dirty Computer, she introduced the world to her true self, and I fell in love. I had to see her live.

Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer Tour

This time, her tour did come to New York, but I opted to travel to Washington, D.C. because general admission tickets were cheaper, the standing room section is larger, and because I thought it would be an appropriate place to see Dirty Computer live given the content of songs like “Americans.” My thoughts proved to be correct. Not only that, but I now must add Janelle to my list of favorite artists… because she has left me floored. I expected her to be great, but she truly blew me away.

The Show

She open the show with album intro “Dirty Computer” before launching into the vivacious “Crazy, Classic, Life.” Filled with an unmatched, crazy energy and stunning, crisp, classic vocals – she gave me life just one song in. There’s something special when she puts her rap hat on and lets loose, too, as she does with the rap verse here. She continued almost non-stop, strutting though the nearly the entire first half of her album: “Take a Byte,” “Screwed,” and one of my favorites, “Django Jane.” Perched atop her throne, she, in true hip-hop fashion, boastfully asks: “If she the G.O.A.T., now would anybody doubt it?”. To be honest, whether she means it or not, she made a very strong case for baring the title, barely 30 minutes into her show.

Next, she took a short break to don her pussy pants and perform the hell out of the funky bop, “Pynk” (yes, it was innuendo-heavy), followed by “Yoga” (yes, she had her female dancers bending over) and “I Like That” (yes, she is talking about that). This section of the show, which I affectionately called the “Lesbian medley” to my friend, ends appropriately with “Don’t Judge Me,” featuring a sensual video montage starring her partner Tessa Thompson and… a very fine man.

Shifting gears, she returned to the stage moments later donning the face mask from the Dirty Computer album, in silhouette lighting, to do a Michael Jackson inspired dance routine over the intro to her Prince inspired groove, “Make Me Feel.” Listen. Her MJ was so damn good, she had me wondering if she was a hologram. Then, she effortlessly paid tribute to perhaps her biggest inspiration, Prince, by performing the hell out of “Make Me Feel,” because she knows the best way to pay tribute to Prince is to channel him and show him what she learned, not cover his song.

With how hard she slayed “Make Me Feel,” I truthfully expected the show to end there. I thought it’d be the fake-out, beg-me-for-an-encore moment, and she’d do “Tight Rope” or “Cold War” and “Americans,” and go home. But nope. She tirelessly transitioned right into “I Got the Juice,” and even brought about 6-7 fans on stage to show off their dance “juice,” allowing each of them a moment to shine individually. It was such an awesome moment. Sure, artists bring fans on stage all the time, but the way Janelle focused on each individual and made them feel special, allowing them the safe space to express themselves was truly moving.

An “American” Encore

The time had come. It was time for shit to get real. Janelle returned to the stage, donning her militant attire, echoing Janet’s Rhythm Nation and spoke about how important it was to know what we’re fighting for before launching into the all too appropriate “Cold War,” followed by “Tight Rope.” Now came the true beg-me-for-an-encore moment, and Janelle took the stage one last time to perform “So Afraid,” before which she urged us to be our true selves, followed by her own American anthem, live at The Anthem: “Americans.” The song, in which she sings “this is not my America” and proclaims that it won’t be until everyone has equal rights, hit all too close to home – especially being a stone’s throw away from the Russian House. I mean White House.

Politically charged, socially conscious, emotionally present, creatively unparalleled, Janelle Monáe’s raw talent shines more than ever. The Dirty Computer era for Janelle Monáe is almost like a rebirth, or reintroduction. We first met her as the ArchAndroid, hiding behind a character in her fantastical world. Now, she has literally and figuratively come out of her land of fiction to introduce the world to the musical and creative genius that has been here all along. Even if it took 10 years, the wait was well worth it.

The Verdict

With the Dirty Computer Tour she cements her status as a consummate performer; an impeccable entertainer who, next time, needs a much bigger stage and a venue with a much bigger capacity. If you still have the chance, catch the Dirty Computer Tour before its too late. Next time, tickets are destined to be more expensive, and more in demand. It’s only up from here for 32 year old Janelle Monáe. To go back to the question of “If she the G.O.A.T., now would anybody doubt it?”…

In time, she certainly will sit among them. Nobody should doubt it.

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I have a bit of a ritual- it basically consists of going to see Aretha Franklin every single time she performs in the area. I’ve been pretty religious at it for the last few years, and have seen her live 12 times now (11 if we’re only counting performances). She’s the epitome of music to me, and she’s getting up there, so every performance is something I treasure and appreciate, because how many more will there be? Last night however, was extra special for a number of reasons.

First of all, I wasn’t planning to attend this show. Aretha is performing at Radio City Music Hall in September and my dad and I (my concert partner in crime), already have tickets. The orchestra level seats at this show were all reserved for donors to the evening’s cause, multiple sclerosis, and I am a bit of a diva when it comes to where I sit at an Aretha show these days (30th row or better). However, with the events that unfolded in Orlando & Los Angeles over the weekend, my emotions have been, dare I say, unrelenting, and I needed some serious positivity. Thankfully, there was Aretha.

So there I sat in Newark, NJ’s NJPAC, in Tier 3 (closer to the ceiling than the floor), hoping for the best. And then she appeared on the stage, and gave it her all. The opening numbers were a dream for me: All songs I wanted to hear her sing and had yet to experience live. “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”, “Share Your Love With Me”, “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”, and “Jump To It”. I could have gone home happy after that quad.

I’ve seen her cover Keyshia Cole’s “I Remember” quite a few times (even once with a Temptation), so I can do without that, but it fit well in the evening’s set. She closed out her first act with a rousing performance of “Chain of Fools” and departed the stage momentarily. The band played on while Aretha took a few minutes (this is standard procedure at her shows), and she returned ready to rock and roll.

Finally hearing her annihilate “Rolling In the Deep” live was equally as gratifying as the opening quad of tracks. She goes to town vocally and OWNS it, with her octave jumps and vocal runs. Cissy Houston would never have rolled her eyes at tonight’s reading. Then it was time for the obligatory gospel moment, and tonight’s choice was the stellar “Old Landmark”. It hails from her Amazing Grace LP, the greatest selling live gospel LP of all time, and she is sure to remind you of it, for good reason.

As other legends depart us, Aretha has made it a point to memorialize them in her show during the last few years, and tonight was no exception. She took to the piano (a serious treat in it’s own, because Aretha can play like nobody’s business), and played “Inseparable” as she remembered Natalie Cole & Muhammad Ali. But she wasn’t done yet, despite a false finish at the ivories. She stayed pianist for one more song and treated us to “A Brand New Me”, which appeared on 1972’s Young, Gifted, & Black.

The show concluded with an extended reading of “Freeway of Love”, followed by an encore with the signature “Respect” which of course was a turned into an audience sing-a-long. She closed out by returning to the stage one more time and dancing for an instrumental bit of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” She also noted that she had been fighting a cold and did not want to let the audience down, which could account for the abbreviated set list and lack of some of the vocally bigger numbers. Before calling it a night she also made sure to acknowledge the legendary Narada Michael Walden (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, “How Will I Know”, “Freeway of Love”, “Vision Of Love”, “I Don’t Wanna Cry”) who was the evening’s special-guest drummer.

Post show I maneuvered my way to the stage door to await the Queen’s exit. It was only myself, my friend, and a fellow Aretha fan. When she exited, though she very politely declined my request for a photo, she talked to us for a bit. I talked to my idol. I’m still processing it. It was a magical moment and the culmination of 18 years of idolizing this legendary woman.

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Set List

1. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
2. Share Your Love With Me
3. Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
4. Jump To It
5. I Remember (Keyshia Cole cover)
6. Chain Of Fools
7. Rolling In The Deep/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Adele/Diana Ross cover)
8. Old Landmark
9. Inseparable [Tribute to Natalie Cole & Muhammad Ali] (Natalie Cole cover)
10. A Brand New Me
11. Freeway of Love
12. Respect

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1. Her intro is AMAZING.

The word lit is probably one of the most overused words 2016, and probably the best word to use for the concert’s introduction. After sitting through Rae Sremmurd’s opening performance, being beaten around by a severe thunderstorm at Solider Field, and waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the Queen to address her subjects, the lights went low, Big Freedia’s voice roared through the stadium, instructing Bey to “give these hoes exactly what they came to see”. Bey stepped out on the stage, acknowledged the in-climate weather, thanked us for sticking with her, and then tore through the show’s opening like her life depended on it. That intro alone is worth standing in the rain for.

2. Them outfits though.

In the past, Bey has gained quite the reputation for her fashion choices, specifically, the leotards which have become a staple during her live performances. While her choice in wardrobing has sometimes garnered criticism, Bey’s costuming for this tour was done by an array of high end designers, including Balmain, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, and more. From her opening outfit, topped off with an oversized hat, to the cape she wore during “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, each outfit not only took on life of its own, but was tailored to accentuate Beyoncé’s signature curves, while simultaneously giving her the room needed to work the stage with her endless choreography.

3. Flashing Lights.

This tour’s stage production is INSANE. Being someone who likes more intimate stage venues, I was throughly impressed with how the stage design allowed for an amazing experience for everyone present. The staging, which included a large box that splits apart into two, a long runway where a good amount of the dancing took place, and a pool that replaced the front of the stage towards the end of the show, were just a few aspects of the glamour.  The pool in particular was an almost religious experience on its own, especially when Beyoncé and her dancers waded in the water during “Freedom”. When the concert wasn’t being displayed on screen, the imagery displayed varied from clips from the Lemonade film, to images of Bey with a grill in her mouth (I liveeeee), clips of fan reactions to Lemonade, (please see Evelyn from the Internets’ video if you haven’t), and a few cameos of my niece  Blue Ivy.

4. Her setlist is impeccable. 

5. “Love God Herself.”

Any Beyoncé fan knows that she is a vehement feminist. As early as her Destiny’s Child days, Beyoncé has always let it be known that she is the H.B.I.C., and will be respected as such. Nothing demonstrates this more than her performance of her 2003 hit, “Me, Myself, & I”, Bey reminds the audience that while the love that comes from a relationship with another person is important, the most important relationship one can have is with themselves. Bey’s constant admiration of the women in the audience throughout the show left me feeling extremely empowered, and wishing she was my bestie. Another important fact to mention, is that everyone that graced that stage, her backup dancers and her backing band the Sugar Mamas alike, were all women, including a killer solo by her guitarist. In an industry dominated by men, it was a wonderful sight to see an all female band rearrange Beyoncé’s classic hits into contemporary reworks.

6. Cocoa Goddess.

 7. She is incredibly humble.

“My message though sometimes ratchet, is always about love.” – Beyoncé

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