It was one of the most unique shows that I have ever seen. People aware of 90’s music probably remember Wyclef as the yin to Lauryn Hill’s yang in The Fugees. A renaissance man and iconoclast, Wyclef put on a show that was a strange combination of concert, street poetry, block party and Q & A.
It was just him and the original DJ from The Fugees. The DJ was spinning the records while Wyclef sang, rapped, recited what seemed to be spontaneous street poetry about everything from having a late flight to San Antonio to Ferguson and Baltimore, played guitar and piano. A nice rendition of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” with Wyclef seguing into some original lyrics reflecting on the issues of the day that wasn’t too preachy or too one sided was the standout musical moment of the evening. But this show was about a lot more than mere music.
The show went off the rails about half way through, but in a fantastic way. He went back to the DJ table with Fugee’s DJ (I forget the guy’s name) and they decided to “change the format” and host what Wyclef called a “block party.” And that is exactly what it was. He had his roadie move his guitars and keyboard out of the way and invited the audience up to the stage and he just spun records for a dance party. The Jackson 5’s “ABC” to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and everything in between. People were free to go up and dance with Wyclef, take selfies with him, he was game for whatever people felt like doing. I really don’t think this was planned. Or at least it did not seem to be cleared ahead of time with the Tobin Center security and the radio promo guys. I know many artists work hard to look spontaneous, but I was watching the Tobin Center security and radio people during this whole “block party,” and they looked genuinely confused and concerned. They were huddled together discussing options. Finally one approached Wyclef and whispered something at length in his ear and he sheepishly instructed everyone to return to their seats. But that was one of the more insane 10 minutes or so I have ever experienced at a concert. (NOTE: My wife and I are both former attorneys and we couldn’t help ourselves. After the show on the way home we both went through all of the liability issues with Wyclef’s “block party.” As fun as it was, I sympathized with The Man on this one. Am I getting that old?)
Then 180 degree shift to a question and answer session, where Wyclef took questions from the audience. You might recall that Wyclef made a serious run for the presidency of Haiti last year or the year before, and there were several Haitian people in the audience. So from rap/reggae/pop show to dance party to Wyclef answering complex questions regarding Haitian domestic policy. And he answered the questions well, too. He is smart. And he knows it. One of the few turnoffs of the evening was Wyclef’s substantial ego. He was actually making a humble point when discussing how difficult it is for an artist of his vintage to be relevant to younger listeners, but when you start the conversation with “When a legendary artist tries to make a comeback…”, the humble facade soon disappears. He referred to himself as a “legendary artist” several times during the evening. Also, after making an admittedly good point about Haitian politics, he felt the need to point out that it was a smart observation, “hey, he can sing and dance, but he’s also really smart!”
Not all questions were that deep. One young lady got the microphone to say “I don’t have a question, I just f**kin' love you. And I’m legal.” Good to know. One guy right behind me used his opportunity to ask a question to make this offer to Wyclef, “hey man, you want a hit of this?,” proffering his joint. Wyclef partook and then continued his dissertation on Haitian politics. The gentleman who offered the weed was promptly escorted from the room by security. He was wearing a law school T-shirt, yet looked very confused as to the nature of his offense. Great stuff. Funny Wyclef was not likewise escorted out, considering he had just broken the same Texas law. I liked what Wyclef had to say about Baltimore: “why are people in Baltimore waiting for someone else to come in and improve their community for them?” He also showed support for the now famous mother who beat her rioting son upside the head on national television. “Every person in this room probably benefited at some time in their life from a good ass-whipping...not that I condone child abuse...but still.” When asked when the last time he spoke with Lauryn Hill was, he had to think for awhile, and replied, “Dave Chappelle’s block party.” I assume that was awhile ago, considering the last time Dave Chappelle was relevant.
He also had a great perspective on the American Dream, as many immigrants do. When one audience member asked him about his definition of success, he talked about coming from Haiti as a young boy, working at Burger King for awhile, made fun of his accent in taking orders, and talked about the definition of success being dedicated and doing the best you can at whatever you are doing. It wasn’t just lecturing from a successful celeb, it was genuine. It was an oddly touching moment when he was talking about concentrating, at that time, on being the best Burger King worker he could be.
To top the evening off, he stayed after the show to take pictures with anyone who so desired. My wife and I got a good one with him. I don’t own any of his work other than The Score by The Fugees, and honestly I’m not likely to rush out and buy anything, but he still gave me one of the more memorable concert experiences of my life last night.
1 comment:
That is super-fascinating. I find it sort of amusingly odd that he thinks he's such a superstar. Did I miss out on the Fugees' superstardom? But it sounds like a very interesting evening. Thanks for recounting it!
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