The Goat Pen

DJClarkKent DJ CLARK KENT

I can't make you all believe what I'm saying, BUT, if there was no Serato.. There would be 50 percent less DJ's right now..

Once about a time, there was a pretty good hip-hop band with a great singer. When the band split, the singer became a superstar, releasing an album that would win her five Grammys and make her arguably the biggest R&B star on the planet. But then it all came crashing down. There was a chaotic solo performance for MTV Unplugged; an attack on the Vatican at the Vatican; a dalliance with clown makeup; and, finally, a return to the songs that made her famous, accompanied by a series of less than flattering live reviews. It has been an eventful 12 years for Lauryn Hill, to say the least.

But Hill seemed to be getting her act together, a bit, this year. She is headlining the prestigious Rock the Bells festival, and has played other concerts throughout the year, including Coachella. All that performance time should have lead to some improvement, right? As it turns out, it did not. Thursday night’s performance at the Ampthitheatre was the closest thing I have ever seen to an artist writing their own obituary on stage.

The sad thing is that Hill’s chief attribute, her powerful voice, remains completely in tact. But two things turned this show into an epic catastrophe:

1. She might have employed the worst sound crew in the history of the concert industry. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Hill simply wasn’t available earlier in the day to do a sound check and it wasn’t their fault. But I will say this: It is close to impossible to screw up the sound at the Ampthitheatre. I have been going to shows at the venue since 1996, and I can’t remember a time where the sound was an issue. (Weather, on the other hand … )

But something on this night was just awful. The bass and drums were pushed through the roof. Or rather to the roof, where they bounced back, creating a dizzying echo in the crowd below. Hill was barely audible through the ensuing mess. What I did hear from her was strong, but that leads me to the second problem …

2. Wow, Hill is an unmitigated disaster as a performer right now. Again, maybe it was just this show, but she spent the entire performance flapping her arms constantly at the sound people at the side of the stage and at her band. It was beyond distracting and, after some time, outright uncomfortable to watch.

This was also a rare show where I didn’t feel like I was the only person thinking that somethings, plural, were wrong. A woman beside me danced for the first two songs, then stood there with a look on her face that said, “Yeah, it’s Lauryn Hill, but it’s not really Lauryn Hill.” After a move to the 300 level to see if the sound was in better shape in any other part of the venue — it wasn’t — I heard another girl who was a bit less reserved in her criticism: “You f–king suck!” she exclaimed, shortly before she and three of her friends picked up and left about 30 minutes into the set.

(Side note: Hill also started an hour and a half late. It stands to reason that if you’re going to make your fans wait that long, you should probably ensure they aren’t disappointed. Oops.)

Will Lauryn Hill ever be the force she once was? Well, she’s 36; apparently can’t be in a room with the other two Fugees; and seems to have let an obsessive compulsive disorder or overbearing sense of perfectionism overtake her ability to put on a competent live performance. Let’s just say I wouldn’t put my money on it.

Verdict: Until the reviews improve, you’re better off spending the money on Beyonce. Or Rihanna. Or anyone, really.

Opening act: Nas did an impassioned take on his early material, focusing on the hip-hop classic Illmatic. At least his sound people knew who the crowd came to see. He came through loud and clear, even if DJ Premier and Pete Rock’s beats didn’t.