A Night With Jill 

By ButtaFly 

      Thursday morning, I decided I was ready to take my cornrolls out. I had been braiding it for close to a year now and wanted to wear my hair natural but didn't know the first thing about it. The night of the show, after work, I took my braids out and decided to rock my fro. This was first for me so was I a little unsure.
     As I stepped into the Landmark, I saw something different from the norm. Instead of seeing all people [but me and my friends] dressed like "Richmond's Finest," I saw regular people. People who celebrated who they were and what made them comfortable. They came out looking sophisticated and natural. Women didn't have to hide themselves behind the mask created by Mac or Loreal or Black Opal nor did they have to visit the nearest beauty empire to get the latest weave added in. Men were not walking around with their Kenneth Cole or Coogi outfits and Gators to match. They didn't come in the place looking as if they were rough, rugged, raw and ready to make an "I'm a Thug" video.

 Everything was peace.

     My people made me feel more at home and it felt as if I knew them without knowing them personally. Sound crazy? Don't get me wrong, Richmond's Finest was there, but it seemed as if they all faded away or they were drowned by the sea of the knowing. Those knowing about themselves and don't give a damn about status quo.
     I don't know about the first act and you know what this is about Jill and what she did to me that night, so I am moving on.
     As the music starts, you see a band made up of one man on the trumpet, one man on the trombone, one man on percussion, one man on the bass guitar, one man on the drums, and one man on keyboards. There were three beautiful young ladies who were her background singers. They looked like the little black dolls that are the three different shades: light, brown, and dark. Just a beautiful representation of us.
     Than out comes Jill Scott. This woman is incredible. She comes out in this chocolate brown dress. It looks as if it was made from a burlap bag or something. It has a scoop neck and it just hangs. It is short in the front, but down to her knees. The back of the dress hangs a little longer than that. Simple make up on her face, a light colored eye shadow and maybe some lip gloss. Wouldn't you know it, she is rocking an Afro as well. I felt so empowered by it. I didn't care about what anyone had to say about it. Sista was beautiful!
     Once she smiles at you, you are hooked anyway. Jill is loving the crowd and we are loving her. She starts off the show with "Love Rain" and breaks down the written word song and brings it to life. For those who don't know, "Love Rain" is a song about heartache. She broke it down syllable by syllable and near the end she starts chanting," You broke me, but I'm healing." Those words are still vibrating in my ear. That is my second favorite song on that CD just for the meaning alone. She keeps the song going and then she starts dancing to the smooth bohemian like rhythm. She was in her own world and comfortable on that stage. It was like she all by herself up there and she was dancing in the mirror and watching. We have all done that, I still do.
      But I digress.... After that song, she starts off "Slowly, Surely". That is my favorite song off the whole CD. That became my anthem once I decided to walk away from a self-serving, undeserving love of my own. As I sang every word of this song, it just made me realize that I made the right decision and I have no regrets of leaving him behind. This song is an inspiration to anyone dealing with the same drama. After "Slowly, Surely" she broke out "One is the Magic Number". Oh yes.... That is my third favorite. She had a them going on and that was all good. I was feeling it. Her voice is silky and much better in person. As the night goes on, she was singing every song that we all love. Jill ended the evening with "The Way".
      That wasn't enough for us! As she left the stage, the crowd got louder and louder... Cheering her on and finally they convinced her to come out. For her encore, she did "He Loves Me." And I'm glad she did it... In between the songs, she would take a few moments and talk to the crowd. What I liked most was that she had everyone's undivided attention. You could hear a pin drop in that place. She spoke of loving yourself, and how some record companies turned her away because of her weight and her style. The music was great, she was relaxed and comfortable on the stage, everything was beautiful and the crowd loved her. Peace!