A day after announcing a limited fall reunion tour, Fugees held their first concert in 15 years on Wednesday night. Taking place at New York City’s rooftop venue Pier 17 with a crowd of about 3,000, the 45-minute set brought back together Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel as they begin celebrating 25 years of The Score.
Unsurprisingly for a show featuring both Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, the show reportedly started a full three hours late (doors were at 6:00, showtime at 7:00, and the band arrived at 10:00, according to Stereogum). Some of that delay was likely due to having to soundcheck the group’s large backing band, which included a full horn section and a number of backing singers.
“There was destiny in us coming together, there was destiny in the touring, and there was destiny in the people we inspired,” Hill said during the show (via Rolling Stone). “Respect the miracle of this union. Respect that we can get on this stage and still do this.”
The set consisted of exclusively tracks from The Score such as “Zealots,” “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” and “Ready or Not.” Pras and Wyclef also traded some freestyles, with the latter adding a plea to President Joe Biden: “President Biden, I want you to do me a favor: Give the Haitians a pass like you did with the people coming from Afghanistan.” Read our full review of the concert here.
The whole show was being recorded for the Global Citizen Live event airing on September 25th, and audience members were asked to tuck their cellphones away in Yondr pouches. However, a few sneaky fans were able to capture video of the Fugees’ reunion concert, and you can watch those clips below. Also ahead, check out the show’s complete setlist.
Tickets for Fugees’ full reunion tour, which launches November 2nd in October, can be found via Ticketmaster.
Setlist:
01. The Score
02. How Many Mics
03. Zealots
04. Fu-Gee-La
05. Killing Me Softly with His Song
06. Ready or Not
07. No Woman, No Cry
Editor’s Note: For more on Fugees’ The Score, check out the Consequence Podcast Network’s recent season of The Opus exploring the album’s legacy. Hear the first episode below, and find the rest of them here.
