Fugees Back
Hill added 10 more dates to her previously announced tour: "The Fugees coming back together for performances feels like unfinished business we’re destined to handle"
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill turns 25 this year — and Ms. Lauryn Hill is reuniting with Fugees on the road to celebrate.
On Tuesday, the rap legend announced that she’ll embark on a U.S. arena tour to celebrate her solo magnum opus and will be joined by Pras and Wyclef Jean for a reunion of Fugees after a brief performance at Roots Picnic in June.
“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator,” Hill said in a press release. “I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”
Reflecting on her career, Hill said she felt “blessed to have a platform” where she could share her perspective through music. “I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places,” she added. “I loved showing what could work or happen provided there was imagination, creativity and LOVE leading the way.”
After a number of music festival appearances in September and early October, Ms. Lauryn Hill will be joined by Fugees starting Oct. 17 in Newark, NJ, before making stops in New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Oakland.
On Oct. 2, Hill announced additional dates for the tour, including stops in cities such as St. Louis, Atlanta, Tampa, and Miami. The tour is set to end on Dec. 13 in Boston. General tickets for the new dates go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
“I’ve almost felt compelled to carry a torch or to keep a light shining regarding the continual performance of the Miseducation album,” Hill said in a new statement. “I believe there’s been a reason for that—and the Fugees coming back together for performances too feels like unfinished business we’re destined to handle.” Editor’s picks
“The connections are real and uncanny, and the magic and synergy between us has not been deterred by time. I believe the messages that we and the art we made embody something moving, meaningful and important for us and for the world,” she added. “We gave voice and image to possibilities that emblazoned so many musical directions after us… We represent not just ourselves but our influences and our peers who took art, culture and inspiration very seriously—- who reshaped the landscape for ourselves and for those who would follow after us.”
Fugees reunited at Roots Picnic in June, performing some of the group’s biggest hits. The reunion marked the first time the trio had all performed together sincetheir one-off New York City gigin Sept. 2021. Areunion tour celebrating the group’s 25th anniversarywas planned, but Fugeespostponedandultimately canceledthe shows, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tour may be the final time the group reunites. Pras Michel wasfound guiltyof 10 charges against him in April — including money laundering, illegal lobbying, and campaign finance violations — for his role in a multimillion-dollar government influence campaign that involved both the Obama and Trump administrations. Michel was accused of funneling money from Malaysian financier Jho Low to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, as well as lobbying Donald Trump’s administration to drop an investigation into Low and extradite dissident Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
Michel continually maintained his innocence,tellingRolling Stone, “What benefit would I get trying to break laws? It’s not worth it to me. I’m like a pariah now. I’ve got friends who won’t talk to me because they think there’s a satellite in orbit listening to them.”Related
Michel faces up to 20 years in prison; a sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour
Sept. 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mystic Lake
Sept. 23 – New York, NY @ Global Citizen Festival
Oct. 1 – Gold Coast, AUS @ Promiseland Festival
Oct. 3 – Melbourne, AUS @ Rod Laver Arena (with Koffee)
Oct. 5 – Sydney, AUS @ Kudos Banks Arena (with Koffee)
Oct. 7 – Auckland, NZ @ Eden Festival
Oct. 17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center (with Fugees)
Oct. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays (with Fugees)
Oct. 21 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena (with Fugees)
Oct. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Arena (with Fugees)
Oct. 26 – Toronto, ON @ Scotia (with Fugees)
Oct. 28 – Chicago, IL @ United Center (with Fugees)
Oct. 30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena (with Fugees)
Nov. 2 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena (with Fugees)
Nov. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (with Fugees)
Nov. 7 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena (with Fugees)
Nov. 9 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena (with Fugees)
Newly Added DatesTrending
Nov. 12 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Nov. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
Nov. 21 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
Nov. 25 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
Nov. 27 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
Nov. 29 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Dec. 1 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Arena
Dec. 8 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
Dec. 10 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Dec. 13 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
This story was updated on Oct. 2 at 12:50 to include new dates.
