By Courney Devores
Special to the Observer

After much speculation about set time and performance quality spurred by a string of recent reviews, Lauryn Hill continued a fairly triumphant comeback tour Saturday at Amos’ Southend. If you came expecting a rehash of past hits you may have been disappointed. But if you came for a good, loose live show, you got one and not the train wreck many predicted.

A lot of fuss has been made over Hill’s current club tour in anticipation of Saturday’s sold out show - from high ticket prices to Hill’s chronic tardiness (something she has in common with male performers that take less flack for it). The latter has been so well publicized though that a late start was almost expected. Door time was pushed to 9 p.m., which left many concertgoers shivering in the cold for up to three hours. Those standing in the balcony, many of whom undoubtedly arrived early, began chanting Hill’s name and even booing around 11:20. She took the stage twenty minutes later following her 12-piece band and quieting most of her detractors with a strong, if a touch raspy voice, big funk band, and a demeanor that suggested she was genuinely happy to be there.

She kicked things off with Bob Marley’s "Forever Loving Jah" backed by a trio of singers that did an impressive take on Marley’s I Threes-style backing vocals. During "Ex-Factor" the crowd joined in like a gospel choir rivaling any audience in memory in terms of vocal quality. Yet at times Hill seemed like she was having more fun than the crowd. She spoke candidly about her 13-year-old son Zion and the trials of mothering an apparently attractive teenage boy (Hill has five children) when introducing "To Zion."

Some attendees were displeased with the new arrangements and left early. Some songs were sped up. Others were completely reworked. "Final Hour" rode a bassline reminiscent of the Cranberries’ "Zombie" and morphed into more of a haunting rock song than the slightly jazzy hip-hop original. The Fugees’ "How Many Mics" shifted from big funk rock jam with an organ fit for a baseball game to an uplifting smooth R&B groove midway through. It was fascinating how well the song could work in either style. These versions may not have been as familiar, but illustrated how a good song can be with different dressings. Because of the arrangement and the funk nature of the live band the set came off less like a chill R&B/hip-hop performance and more like a classic funk and soul set. Hill even looked the part of a '70s soul diva with an afro, big jewelry, and a fur collared jacket that she wore throughout the show despite the heat of the lights.

Those that left early missed the pinnacle of the concert – a string of Fugees’ tunes that had both Hill and the audience bouncing to "Zealots," "Fu-Gee-La" and "Ready or Not." Hill seemed to revel in the fact that she could easily perform all of her former partners’ parts with a quick, fluid tongue. She bounced in a long flowing, belted dress, punching at the ceiling along with the crowd. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" may have been an historical Grammy nominated album, but tracks from Fugees' 1996 album "The Score" pushed the performance to the next level. The momentum continued to climb as she belted out "Killing Me Softly" then ended a nearly two-hour set with a lively encore of "Doo Wop (That Thing)."

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