Lauryn Hill organisers – It’s not good enough!
* Arrived at the Dome in Northgate just after 7pm, park near the door, easy to get in, entire space still empty, hardly anyone there. It’s easy to get a drink, it’s easy to book your space near the front. Things are looking up. Apparently Ashanti had still been doing soundcheck on the stage when the doors opened after five (so at least one of them was here!). Apparently Lauryn HIll was still at the Bassline rehearsing with her band… this of course via our
sometimes dodgy grapevine… the rumours were flowing fast and furiously. But at least we knew our Diva was here.
*Space starts to fill slowly and the first act comes on an hour late at around 8pm – KB. KB has prepared an entire show and despite being pregnant really gets down – clearly she has been working hard – KB was supported by her DJ/Producer/lover Terry and her dancers are also in tow (PS: Those black catsuits were not great.) Can’t really hear KB very well although we get the jist of the songs. PLEASE TURN UP THE VOCALS. WE CANNOT HEAR KB. What the ….?
*LEBO follows KB after a normal length changeover – her dancers are looking very sexy – great to see a diverse range of South African women doing back-up dancing – the girls help Lebo rock the crowd and besides the cheesy wedding chair dance are fantastic… But again – WE CAN’T HEAR THE VOCALS…Seems like LEBO is having to SCREAM to let herself be heard. NOT GOOD ENOUGH – the sound was just not good enough – as usual.
*It must be around 10:15pm and we still have four acts to come. Clearly these fly-by-night promoters and organisers have not done their sums properly – our ticket promises a five hour concert which should mean 7 – 12 midnight. It’s becoming clear that that ain’t going to happen. My right leg is already feeling numb. I need to go outside for a break. I’m hungry and thirsty.
*ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THE CONCERT – there’s an outdoor ‘smoking chillzone’ with tables, bars, food available etc. Throughout the venue food and booze is easily available and it flows. We decide the chillzone will be our resting place when we just can’t take the bad sound anymore.
*On to Bongo Maffin, with Jahseed demanding that his microphone be turned up and that the sound guys get the sound together – He is visibly frustrated and persistent and this seems to work as Thandiswa , Jahseed and Stoan wake the crowds up and take us to concert fever. Probably the best act of the night in retrospect – mainly because we could hear them.
*So it’s the turn of the international Diva’s. The Dome is now full, but comfortably full, the atmosphere is great and we bump into lots of friends which distracts us from noticing how fast time is flying by… All attention is turned to the (very boring and undecorated) stage as we wait… for nearly AN HOUR AND A HALF while they set up the stage for Regina Belle.
*It’s midnight and Regina is crooning away – all the Aunties in the house are over the moon – they’re delighted to hear their favourite tracks… We’re not sure if it’s appropriate music for this kind of concert – a little too “soppy”. There are a lot of couples getting a little too cozy for our liking. But Regina knows her stuff and takes us on and up. She is good.
*We hear that Lauryn is next up, so we reclaim our final positions and prepare ourselves for our lady. The tall guys in our group get cr*pped on from very impolite and bad mannered short women in the room… do you kiss your Mama with those mouths? Learn some manners. There’s a way of saying things and there’s just plain rudeness.
*And so we wait. And wait. Something must be up. This is unacceptable. At some stage Lettie from Isidingo comes on to try and quell us (you go girl!), it’s not working as the audience loudly BOO’s her. Don’t shoot the messenger. But we have to cr*ap on someone. This is unacceptable. It’s been an hour.
*Two sms’s come through our journalist and VIP network with a frightening message…”ASHANTI’s sister has been killed in a car-hijacking outside the Dome.”
Our hearts drop, the tired faces in our crowd which were grinning and bearing the disorganisation turn pale as we realise that something dark has happened. We wonder whether we should go home or stick this farce out.
*We stare at the stage where Lauryn’s band is all set up but just hanging around. The room is earily quiet and the crowd is being strangely accepting of shocking organisation, timing and treatment as everyone just stands and waits patiently, staring at the stage. Some people are starting to sit down, others begin to leave the venue. We look at each other with questions in our eyes, is someone going to announce something… Is someone going to talk to the
audience at all? We’re feeling very undercommunicated to.
*Please do not let this be true. A car hijacking. that could mean the end of any kind of credibility our country may have garnered with visiting international artists… this kind of negative reputation will spread like wildfire, having a major impact on so many levels. One step forward… how many back? We start to feel really depressed. The crowd is still ominously silent.
*”We need a revolutionary Leader” we suggest, someone who has the spirit and energy to get this complacent crowd chanting, singing, complaining, toyitoying, anything. This treatment of paying customers is unacceptable. It’s about 1:30am.A few people attempt to fire up some shosholoza… others are just yelling in frustration. An announcement comes over the PA – the crowd finally musters some energy to boo and jeer a bit… Lauryn’s backing musicians are taking pictures of the crowd… they seem amazed at how obedient we are. We’re amazed. What happened to demanding for customer service?
*More sms’s come in, all confirming that someone related to Ashanti has died. We wait some more. The lights dim a bit as Lauryn’s DJ’s start spinning some songs… We expect it to be the opening strains of Lauryn’s set – but it’s not, it’s generic music… the crowd who had started screaming at the sound of the Dj’s now begin to boo again… Please don’t insult us by trying to placate us with generic hiphop. We paid to see Lauryn Hill so where the hell is she…More people leave the Dome.
*And suddenly, there she is. Lauryn Hill. Live. She looks like MonChiChi – a huge afro, her slim hips wearing high-waisted 70’s style jeans, a stripey red and black shirt, TWO SCARVES and a leather jacket. Which she keeps on for her entire performance. She jumps around a bit, says hello, sings a bit, raps a bit… We realise that she is very focused on the band – she seems to be giving them ongoing instructions… they don’t seem very prepared.
*She shouts at the DJ to “watch the beat” – she gesticulates to the drummer and guitarist to move to the chorus. Three very lost looking guys hang around the percussion… “those dudes are definitely South African” we all laugh…. Half of our party decide to leave the Golden CIrcle to go and sit down. I receive an sms from a friend in the audience… “Mhhhhmmmm”it reads. And that’s not a good mhhhm.
*It’s about 2:30am. The space around us has emptied out. People are sitting on the floor, looking to the back of the room we see that it’s thinning out fast. Lauryn has taken up her guitar. She sits on a white covered “wedding chair” and starts playing some acoustic tracks. Don’t know that one. That’s not from Unplugged, don’t know that either. Please Lauryn play us something we know. We’re tired, we’re exhausted, we’re feeling down, please give us something to lift us. It’s a tough challenge for even the most brilliant of live performers. The crowd was really despondent and tired.
*But I realise that I am actually having a good time… I am mesmerised by her eyes, her face, her style, her movements – she is magical. She is blessed. I realise I don’t care that I don’t know the music or that it’s unbelievably late, the tracks sound similar to her other unplugged stuff so I can go with it. I love Lauryn Hill and she’s right in front of me. Live.
*Finally, Lauryn gets rid of the guitar. The room is now seriously thin. Die hard fans stand and stare, hoping, wanting, waiting. At last, she finally gets miseducated. And BOOM she takes us up, one hit follows another, with the sparse crowd finally getting what they had been waiting for.
*The remaining crowd moves back together and starts screaming, bouncing, singing, loving… Lauryn comes to life and manages to wake us up – she gives an outstanding ending to a somewhat shaky start. We don’t care about anything as we get our kick and make the most of our Diva.
*3am. Ashanti is still supposed to be coming on. We laugh at that ridiculous concept as everyone begins to drift towards the doors to the last strains of Lauryns DJ’s and her waving hand as she moves reluctantly off stage.
*Four very official looking people and Lettie take the stage, they make an announcement regretting to tell us that Ashanti’s sister has in fact been killed in a car accident. They ask the crowd to please join them in a minute’s silence to show our respect and support for the family. Lettie asks again. The room quietens but silence is evasive as people stream out of the Dome. Angry, frustrated, dissapointed. Nothing like leaving a place with a bad taste in your mouth and swollen, aching feet. We are reminded to drive safely.
*The highway is eerily full of gleaming cars all zooming home… we drive very cautiously in the slow lane, everyone desperate to get to bed. It’s going for 4am. We listen to two local radio stations with callers giving their opinion of the concert. It’s not sounding good. People are complaining. People are unhappy. Words like “wack, disgusting, poor, embarassing” fill the airwaves.
*We drop everyone at home and head on home to our beds.
I promise myself that Snoop will be the last time that I get suckered into another let down of a live show. South Africa when are we going to get it right? The organisers shouid be ashamed of themselves. It’s just not good enough.
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Well according to all media reports Lauryn Hill is coming to SA! We’re so excited. We encourage all the ladies to go to this DIVA concert. Ladies, if you are not a Lauryn HIll fan do us a favour and buy her MTV Unplugged album…. turn off the lights, stretch out and relax on the floor, burn some candles, drink some wine and listen to her lyrics. She learn’t how to play the guitar in the two years preceeding this album while going through some intensely personal stuff…She goes right through you and leaves you knowing what it is you don’t want.
ALL LADIES – we will see you in the golden circle. Let’s REPRESENT! Buy your tickets from Computicket!
PS: Guys you are obviously invited too but it is a bit of a chicca thing. She speaks our minds.
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They better not be pulling our leg about Lauryn Hill coming out to perform in SA. Don’t mess with us when it comes to one of our favourite female performers. Well we haven’t had any official press release yet and the story is a bit strange for a few reasons but we hope we’re just being over-sensitive:
1. A friend that saw a huge banner for the concert said that REGINA BELLE was the big name, followed by ASHANTI in smaller print and then LAUREN HILL which was the smallest name and spelt incorrectly. Is this Lauren HIll from Poggenpoolstad or the real LAURYN HILL?
2. We later heard that the gorgeous UNATHI was to open for Lauryn HIll, but then in the only official report we saw in the Sunday Newspapers she was not listed as one of the opening acts.
Then there were rumours of JILL SCOTT coming out but nothing has been confirmed… where did those come from?Anyone care to elaborate>?
Anyway – the news as we have it is that Lauryn Hill is going to be performing with Ashanti and Regina Belle at the REDDS DIVA’s concert in Johannesburg on 15 April. Which if it’s true is fantastic news and we cannot wait!
As we hear more so we shall let you know!
