Tuesday's eagerly anticipated showin the Theater at Madison Square Garden (the first of three sold-out concerts) was a showcase that featured about half of her acclaimed disc, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." The rest included a smattering of numbers from the Fugees as well as a few nicely selected covers.

In just under a couple of hours, the music touched on elements of rap, R&B and reggae.

Helping Hill keep the fans at attention was an enormous backup band that was responsive to the diminutive singer, never overpowering or trampling her during any of their musical stampedes.

The problem the production faced was high fan expectation hitched to a solo artist with a basic 13-song repertoire (from the new album) and two hours of stage time. Some of the tricks played by the ensemble to make it a winning night worked - others didn't.

Hill's first move was to set the show's mood while the Theater was dark. Before Hill stepped on stage, the amps cranked; but rather than hearing the willowy-voiced singer, the fans stood and listened to a recording of Bob Marley singing the inspiring acoustic reggae composition "Redemption Song." Still not on stage, the hip-hop diva then offered the gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

These tunes were hints of what was in store over the course of the concert - songs of freedom, songs of power and glory. One of those shining moments blossomed about mid-show, during the concert version of "I Used to Love Him," when Mary J. Blige - wrapped in a leather pantsuit - reprised her duet with Hill. By the fans' response, the Blige-Hill partnership was the evening's "moment." Even the rollicking "The Lost Ones" and the title track to "Miseducation" didn't compare to the powerhouse performance these two women put on.

In the production's attempt to fill its stage time, there was a dud drum-and-deejay solo during which Lauryn skipped off stage to change from her not-so-glamorous leather capri pants, blouse and doo-rag headgear to a less-elegant combo of high-water cargo pants and T-shirt.

Also on the yawn-inducing front was Hill's democratic act of introducing each member of the 17-piece band by name, allowing each guy to noodle for a few seconds. It was a waste of valuable stage time, considering everybody in the Theater was there to hear Hill sing.

Where the filler was more successful was when Miss Hill proposed a band-vs.-deejays battle, a mock fight during which she led the band through cover versions of snippets from the Jackson Five's sugar-pop tune "I Want You Back," Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and a version of the theme song of "The Jeffersons" that would shake anybody's Wheezy.

The multiracial crowd was well-behaved and reflected a world where music is the tie that binds. Feeling the moment of unity near the close of the show (before she sang her "Killing Me Softly" encore), Hill offered an impassioned speech in which she said that most cops are good, and that the few bad cops should be punished if they commit crimes. The sensible speech didn't try to rouse the rabble, but instead plainly stated that no one is above the law.

In a way, her closing words and the applause she received for them illustrated what she had said earlier in the evening - and also helps explain her giant success: "I'm the same person I always was. I'm no different from any one of you. I just had opportunities."

Lauryn Hill concludes her series at the Theater at Madison Square Garden at 8 tonight and has a concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on April 2.

-- Dan Aquilante - 3/25/99