Miracles are reserved for the inexplicable and the unimaginable. The Fugees announcing a tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their album The Score and the surprise New York City pop-up performance the day after that announcement were miracles. But, were they enough?
Under a full moon atop The Rooftop on Pier 17 in the Seaport section of New York City, the once estranged titan trio of Pras, Wyclef Jean, and Ms. Lauryn Hill graced the stage for the first time since 2006 in partnership with Global Citizens Live. The Fugees were the main attraction, but attendees were there to see history. The group tore through a few records from The Score, 25 years after it was released in February 1996. After a nine-piece band's arrangement of the album's intro, The Fugees launched into a performance of "How Many Mics" with Ms. Hill dressed fashion-week ready, slicing through the night air with vehement lyrics of how "I get controversial, freak your style with no rehearsal." As with their previous performances during the height of the group's fame, they mostly performed in close proximity of each other instead of on separate spaces of the stage. It was as if they wanted to re-engineer the seamless camaraderie which once made The Fugees the premiere live act in all of hip-hop.
