When Ms. Lauryn Hill comes to Calgary
By Matthew Johnson, January 28 2026—
What does it mean to experience one of the giants of hip-hop in your growing prairie city?
While not her first time in Calgary, on Dec. 8th, 2025, Ms. Lauryn Hill arrived in Calgary to give two back-to-back performances at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
Hill embarked on this Canadian only tour titled, “Artist in Residence”, that kicked off in Winnipeg and ended in Ottawa, with each show performed in more intimate venues.
A portion of all ticket sales from the shows went to the MLH fund that would be given to local community outreach programs throughout the country.
For Calgary, that was the Umoja Community Mosaic, a community outreach organization that runs numerous youth programs throughout the city of Calgary.
There was a delay in both performances that was later explained by her team. The production team explained that the performances were pushed back due to production trucks breaking down between Montréal to Calgary, causing a real time “pivot” that still allowed the show to go on seamlessly.
The performance itself was not some nostalgic visit through her best work, Hill treats her discography as a living body, rather than something static. Hill explores new arrangements of these timeless classics, using a live band and backing vocalists for her shows.
“There’s something about the [Miseducation of Ms. Lauryn Hill] that keeps me performing it,” said Hill to audience members in between songs.
Hill throughout the performance, at the end of certain tracks, she would replay the bridge and chorus, molding the backing vocalists to get it just right, allowing the audience to sit with the poetry of the lyrics from Miseducation.
“It’s kind of like me re-releasing albums every time I tour,” said Hill.
The seminal solo album still remains an all-time classic, and was named in 2024 as the number one album in Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums of all time.
The smaller venue feels much more appropriate than the Scotiabank Saddledome for exploring such a deeply personal album.
The nearly 30-year old album intertwines Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s thesis, while exploring the themes of love, her personal relationship with her own faith, what it means to become a mother, the uncertainty that can sometimes hold; and exploring and finally expressing all that she had gone through with her former group The Fugees. All while incorporating elements of R&B, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop.
Her work still remains as powerful, and audience members are still very much moved by her performance. When Hill ended her rendition of Killing Me Softly, she acted as a conductor, getting the audience to sing the chorus and bridge in acapella, and despite poor acoustics inside the Jubilee Auditorium it was still as moving as ever, and could only be compared to that of a church choir.
You cannot help but appreciate that despite everything, Hill still has a deep appreciation and love for the experiences of being a part of the Fugees, ending the concert with Ready or Not and Fu-Gee-Laa.
Leaving the concert, there was a euphoric levity in the air that could be felt by concert-goers. Hearing laughs and seeing beaming smiles on people’s faces, as they departed, and began to express what they got to experience in our growing prairie city.
You are reminded exactly what makes Ms. Lauryn Hill a giant in hip-hop, and it was a joy to be able to witness her live at least once in my life.
If you’re interested in finding out more about her Artist in Residence Tour and the MLH Fund, check out her website for my information.