Audio By Carbonatix
Wyclef Jean Sun Life Stadium September 3, 2011
Better Than: Being president of Haiti. Or at least, that’s what Wyclef tells himself.
When news happens, Miami New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
The last Super Saturday concert I went to after a Florida Marlins game at Sun Life Stadium, the lead singer of KC and The Sunshine Band pulled out his best impression of Rush Limbaugh being forced to do karaoke at a nephew’s Bar Mitzvah.
After Saturday’s soggy contest against the Philadelphia Phillies was delayed two hours, I didn’t exactly have high hopes for Wyclef Jean’s post-game gig.
But if the former Fugee, dubious philanthropist, and wannabe president was supposed to phone this one in with a few songs from his upcoming album and then return to an apartment that one only imagines is plastered with oil paintings of himself gloriously blasting on a vuvuzela in front of a Haitian flag, he didn’t get the memo.
Because of constant drizzle, the concert was moved from its usual field position to the dreaded Gate F, a concrete outdoor nook under an overhang. Most fans were cordoned behind metal barricades, with a loose crowd allowed close access to a stage.
These no-frill environs seemed to make Wyclef want to channel his inner 8 Mile — despite being introduced on stage by a guy named DJ Petey — launching into a frenetic and intimate, if kind of comically self-important, show that saw him running into the crowd and playing a guitar behind his head.
We also learned that Wyclef still misses the Fugees. Backed by a nine-person band including an effervescent back-up singer, Wyclef started the show with his verse from “Ready or Not”. At another point — before jumping into “Fu-Gee-La” — he informed us: “Lauryn Hill is right now at Rock the Bells in New York,” which seemed a little strange considering that Lauryn Hill probably wasn’t busy pinpointing Wyclef’s location that night.
A toothy and lithe belly dancer stole the show from Wyclef during his solo rendition of that Shakira staple “Hips Don’t Lie.” He perfomed a remix of Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” (“By the time I’m 60, I’m a see a trillion/And I’m a give it all back to the Haitian children.”) He brought out his little sister Melky Jean to belt out Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”, and yeah, she packed a lot of soul into that lament: “I was born by the river…”
Wyclef also romped through “Sweetest Girl” — with the hook “I’ma tell you like Wu told me/Cash rules everything around me” — which was originally recorded with Akon and Lil Wayne. He gave a context-less shoutout to Busta Rhymes. He brought his friend Mecca aka Grimo — don’t you hate rappers who have aka as part of their name? — up on stage to rhyme. And at another point, he searched out a wannabe emcee (“Part the sea!” he declared) in the crowd to freestyle.
When the young rapper had a lackluster first attempt, Wyclef chided him, and the kid seemed incited, ending a second string of off-the-dome rhymes with: “Who asked you, Wyclef?”
If it sounds like a hell of a schizophrenic set, it felt like one too. With all the shout-outs and homages and phantom collaborations, Wyclef — who made several references to his presidential bid — was more of a diplomat than a musician.
The surprisingly long show ended, of course, with Wyclef playing “Star Spangled Banner” on his electric guitar.
A little silly? Yeah. But he gave us a true show instead of going through the motions and climbing into a chaffeured SUV, so we owe him some gratitude for that.
Critic’s Notebook
Wyclef Jean’s Setlist
*Best we could tell
-“Ready or Not”
-“Hips Don’t Lie”
-“Guantanamera”
-“Fu-Gee-La”
-“A Milli”
-“A Change Is Gonna Come”
-“Sweetest Girl (Dollar Girl)”
-“The Star-Spangled Banner”
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
