Here’s a clip from Lauryn Hill’s Live performance. Now you can tell everyone – you were there!

LIVE!

Okay, the crowd leaves one way and we sneak back stage – well, side stage in this case – hoping to sneak in an up-close-and-personal pic for the LiveFlyer archives. We’re sure she’s not avoiding us as the “roadies” move back and forth in front of us. Here she comes … and, and, and … goes. Darn it, by the time we fired up the camera, she posed, said thank you and was gone. We’ll post up what we have later in the day/evening.

So long from the W New York.

Lights up, the band salutes and Ms. Hill disappears – stage right, leaving those holding the SPG Credit Card from American Express just a bit more loyal to a card that already has a preferred place in their wallet.

P.S. The most popular way of capturing the moment? Using a cellphone to take a picture or record a magic moment …

We confess, we’ve never bought an iTunes song from Lauryn Hill, but among her music choices this evening – about 10 songs into the set – it does appear she handles the move from hip-hop to other styles quite well. And when she did her rendition of Bob Marley’s “Zimbabwe” like she owned it, the crowd agreed. Right now she is belting out “Heat Wave” a song that the older members of the audience at least know.

Now, if we act the music critic, her voice might have been smoother and the band a bit more polished, but no one left too early and it’s past eleven o’clock.

Wearing her hair in a giant Afro, the one thing we noticed from the start is that she repeats phrases and uses improvised and snaked words around the rhythms. It makes her sound mystical, lots of mystical.

Her music is blended afro-pop and jazz with a hint of hip-hop.

The worst thing about it was that she started an hour late with no apology, but for most of us that have seen a concert – any concert – from the nose bleed section, this was a treat.

More music, more photos as soon as we break the bandwidth.

Hello Ms. Hill …

With a full complement of a band – two of a kind: two guitars, two sets of drums, two backup singers, two keyboards and two brass, she opens with H-E-L-L-O and is greeted by the crowd… music is here.

It appears that in true (so we hear) performance fashion, Ms. Hill is unaccounted for. Scheduled to begin at 8:30 for 30-45 minutes, she’s now New York “fashionably late.”

When we hear it, you’ll hear it.

How about a liquid refreshment while we wait? What will you have?

If we’re going to do this right, we need to find out everything – yes, everything. We discovered quite by accident the “side” private party going on. Yes, leaning against a vacant door lead us into the inner bowels of the W New York and we happened upon a slew of people here for the event. This was a SPG/Conde Nast private party and no sooner in the door than we spy Adam Aron, who has had a huge impact on this industry. He was one of the first who actually “invented” the industry. He championed frequent flyers at Western Airlines before AAdvantage and went on to fame by making Mileage Plus the true standard it is today. And he even did his time making the early days of Hyatt Gold Passport a player in the industry. Well, hanging out with the insiders (pics to come) is cool, but we’re here for the music and the points and the plastic. More later.

Here’s Adam Aron, member of the Board of Directors of Starwood Hotels with Robin Korman, VP Marketing of SPG.

Now, which secret door did I come in?

So, I squeezed around the ballroom for another lap and I can tell it must be about time – plenty of activity on the stage and those attending are starting to edge themselves forward for a better view. But really, with Lauryn Hill just eight feet away, what better view does one need?

Next report – live from in front.

Okay, just back from doing laps around this ballroom. There are about 250 people in the audience with about half of them members, both of the devout SPG kind and of the plastic fantastic kind. We just chatted with a few of the plastic fantastic members and the first guy we chatted with spends over $500,000 a year earning points. No doubt he is one of the happiest members here tonight.

As with any army of “a-Pointees,” this group travels, uh, spends on its stomach and there is no lack of finger food being easily consumed and offered. We’d tell you your choices as if you were here but it might spoil your dinner.

(Note to self: “find the satay waiter … again.”)

Starwood just seems to mean music and tonight is no different. It’s like a nightclub where most people seem to know each other. Although it may be that most don’t, those members attending tonight definitely feel as if they know SPG.

P.S. Word is that some of tonight’s special guests are members who have worn out their SPG credit cards. That means lots of points and many miles!

As for the early music… this DJ keeps the place alive and, well, kicking!