Jill Scott delivered a triumphant and joyfully saucy performance at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre on 5 June 2026, celebrating 26 years in music with a phones-free policy that enhanced the intimate atmosphere. The 3,000-strong audience experienced a deeply connected evening, likened to a summer block party hosted by the neighborhood's most charismatic character.
No phones, no distractions: a bold move pays off
Upon entry, phones were stashed in Yondr pouches, a policy previously adopted by Jack White and Phoebe Bridgers. Despite initial grumbles, the technology ban proved inspired, fostering a sense of presence and connection. Scott, emboldened by the policy, engaged the crowd with unfiltered humor and emotional depth. She introduced bass player Dwayne Wright as the "pussy whisperer" and instructed the audience: "Close your ears and listen with your vagina. Kegel to the music!"
A stage set that invites you in
The stage was designed as a yard sale outside an A-frame house, with boxes labeled "Ugliness," "Clutter," and "Self doubt" packed up and ready to go. "Welcome to my house!" Scott exclaimed, wearing one of several towering headwear options. "In my house I do whatever the fuck I want to." This sense of self-sovereignty has defined her career since her 2000 debut, Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol 1, which blended street smarts with jubilant sensuality.
Euphoric anthems and tantric pleasures
Scott performed The Way, a baby-making anthem where even breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, and "grits"—screamed back by the crowd—seemed like foreplay. The 2004 ode to self-pleasure Cross My Mind was stretched to tantric proportions as Scott grabbed her erogenous zones and trembled against the mic stand, trilling "kiss this / and this / and this." She later remarked, "Some of us watch too much porn. People on those screens are getting paid to fuck. Passion, it's got a different rhythm."
Vocal prowess and real-talking moments
Scott's incredible vocal abilities were on full display. On A Long Walk, she scatted and mimed smoking a joint, trading lines with her backing vocalists Freeman, styled as beatnik cool cats. She tipped her hat to "ancestors" on the smoky jazz cut Offdaback, with projections of James Baldwin and Billie Holiday. Liftin' Me Up featured an extended outro interpolating Jackie Wilson's 1967 classic "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," fueled by the exuberant brass section.
Emotional connection and audience love
At times, Scott seemed overcome by the rapturous response. "This is love," she said, misty-eyed before launching into Pay U on Tuesday. "You've been listening to my music for 26 years. You've raised your children, and you've made your children." The 54-year-old singer beamed throughout the 90-minute show, her mighty instrument sounding better than ever. On Beautiful People, from her recent album To Whom It May Concern, she extended her arms to the audience and threw them to the heavens, belting gospel-inspired ad libs: "My beautiful people! Thrivin', shinin', people!"
