After nearly three decades of formation, the New Jersey hip-hop group The Fugees at least most of them finally made it to Memphis to close out the first RiverBeat Festival at Tom Lee Park on the second night.
The closest the Bluff City has ever been to seeing the Fugees live was a fantastic solo set by Lauryn Hill at Minglewood Hall back in 2014.
- Advertisement -
Ten years later, the reformed group led by Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill arrived in the city. Pras Michel, the third member of the trio, was absent from the occasion. He did not provide a cause for his absence.
Nevertheless, Hill and Jean had more than enough vigor and charm to keep the passionate and jam-packed audience at the Stringband Stage engaged throughout their 90-minute performance.
Hill was dressed fabulously in multicolored clothing, while Jean was sporting a “Return of the Fugees” T-shirt. Together, they took the stage and led a flexible large band that successfully delivered the group’s characteristic hip-hop, reggae, and soul music.
Using mostly songs from their two albums, “Blunted on Reality” (1994) and “The Score” (1996), with sporadic excursions into Jean’s and Hill’s catalogs, the Fugees demonstrated why they continue to be a singular force once renowned praised by U2’s Bono as “hip-hop’s Beatles.” “Right about now, the day one Fugees fans need to make some noise out there,” Jean urged the crowd. “The kids are watching you.”
The crowd was thrilled to see Jean and Hill perform a series of well-known singles and masterpieces, even though it was expected that the Fugees crowd would be older than that of RiverBeat’s first-night headliners Odesza, “Gone ’til November,” “Ready or Not” and how they interpret Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.”
Killer Mike gives “more than a show” at RiverBeat, yelling out Memphis rap luminaries.
Jean once displayed his guitar prowess by strapping on a Stratocaster with a Louis Vuitton finish. He replied, “You know I got a chance to rock with B.B. King at the White House,” and proceeded to perform a dazzling display of sharp blues licks.
He asked the audience, “Why you all looked so surprised for?” before executing a few moves reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, including playing the guitar with his teeth and behind his back. After raising the tempo even more with his rendition of the traditional Cuban song “Guantanamera,” Jean gave the stage to the woman he named “the most incredible artist in the universe, Lauryn Hill.”
Before Jean returned to the stage for a thrilling climax, Hill performed a solo set that saw her warbling her way through several exquisite ballads, demonstrating that the 48-year-old singer’s voice is still an ideal instrument.
In the end, the Fugees turned out to be a huge hit at RiverBeat, the first event. The band, which has only performed together a few times in the previous year, does not presently have any further gigs planned, so their much-anticipated Memphis debut will undoubtedly go down as one of the more unforgettable events at Tom Lee Park.
