Following the commercial and critical success of her debut album, 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the singer dropped out of the public eye, shunning fame and the music industry to focus on motherhood. Whats impressive is that despite this going down more than a decade ago, Hill still has a diehard cult following that includes First Lady Michelle Obama, Denzel Washington, and even-wait for it-John McCain. But her widespread appeal makes sense. Hills music is deeply personal and grapples with issues of universal importance: love, heartbreak, pregnancy, religion. Lucky for her fans, the singer is due for a return to the limelight she has so long steered clear of. Last year, a song called Repercussions leaked from her highly anticipated sophomore album and this spring, she earned rave reviews for her electrifying performance at Coachella. The audience at tonights concert wont be as star-studded as the festivals, but really, when youve got Lauryn, who the hell else do you really need? ERIKA HOBART
Sun., May 22, 7 p.m., 2011
