Best live rock show of 2011 that was ignored by The City Pages. Michael Monroe at Station 4 on October 9th. Hell, it was the best rock show this year.
Comments (0) Best Concert of the Past 12 Months (Touring) - 2011
Ms. Lauryn Hill at First Avenue
It was the most expensive concert ticket for a Mainroom show in recent memory, but Hill made it worth every penny. It took only about 30 seconds for Ms. Lauryn Hill (as she requested to be billed on the club's signage) to put to rest all the ridiculous rumors that had swelled up around her rare string of concert dates and to command the entire sweaty, sold-out room at First Avenue, singing with a kind of classic showwomanship and fierce stage presence that most contemporary performers can only attempt to mimic. Though she has released only one studio album as a solo artist, Hill's work as a pioneering hip-hop artist has cemented her status as an icon, and her uplifting and cathartic performances of songs like "Ex-Factor" were nothing short of instant legend. That Bob Marley's son, Rohan—who is the father of Hill's five children—was up in the balcony smiling down at Hill as she sang "Turn Your Lights Down Low" was icing on the cake.
