Lauryn Hill was a surprise late addition to the Essence Fest lineup in New Orleans, and her performance was just as late as the announcement.
The annual festival kicked off this Friday at the Superdome in New Orleans, with the festival announcing on Wednesday that the hip-hop icon, 50, would be performing on Friday at roughly midnight.
That didn’t happen, though, due to a number of factors, with Hill ultimately taking to the stage at 2:31 AM local time, wrapping her up set at 3:37 AM, via Nola.com.
It was one of the latest performances in the 31-year history of Essence Fest, with the Superdome – which has a capacity of 83,000 – nearly empty when she took the stage.
Many fans took to social media to bash Hill – who is notorious for showing up hours late to her performances
However, many others went online to defend Hill, since it seems this time her ultra-late performance was not her fault.
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Lauryn Hill was a surprise late addition to the Essence Fest lineup in New Orleans , and her performance was just as late as the announcement
That didn’t happen, though, due to a number of factors, with Hill ultimately taking to the stage at 2:31 AM local time, wrapping her up set at 3:37 AM, via Nola.com
The schedule for Friday’s Evening Concert Series was supposed to start with Psyrin at 7:10 PM, followed by Lucky Dave at 7:30 and Coco Jones at 8:00.
Glorilla was slated for 8:30, followed by The Isley Brothers at 9:15, Babyface at 10:10, Maxwell at 11:15 and Lauryn Hill closing out the night at 12:35 AM.
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That schedule never stuck, with the whole night starting late, with reports stating that Glorilla finished her set at 10 PM, 45 minutes after the next act, The Isley Brothers, were supposed to start theirs.
Maxwell’s set was supposed to start at 11:15 PM but didn’t start until 12:55 AM, with reports adding that Maxwell’s stage was cleared around 2:04 AM, though Hill didn’t take the stage until 2:31 AM, wrapping up at 3:37 AM.
Nola News shared video from the largely-empty Superdome with Hill on stage, while others like TikTok user MorganD.23 shared a video from her seat in the stadium as well.
Hill has developed a reputation for going on stage much later than she was originally scheduled to, which many fans mentioned on social media.
De Lewis (@shotbyde) said, ‘Lauryn Hill is a scam artist and I don’t know why yall keep supporting her.’
Brit Williams (@DrBritWilliams) quote-retweeted another tweet that said her set ended at 3:37 AM, adding, ‘Stop. Booking. Her.’
The schedule for Friday’s Evening Concert Series was supposed to start with Psyrin at 7:10 PM, followed by Lucky Dave at 7:30 and Coco Jones at 8:00
Maxwell’s set was supposed to start at 11:15 PM but didn’t start until 12:55 AM, with reports adding that Maxwell’s stage was cleared around 2:04 AM, though Hill didn’t take the stage until 2:31 AM, wrapping up at 3:37 AM.
Hill has developed a reputation for going on stage much later than she was originally scheduled to, which many fans mentioned on social media.
De Lewis (@shotbyde) said, ‘Lauryn Hill is a scam artist and I don’t know why yall keep supporting her.’
Brit Williams (@DrBritWilliams) quote-retweeted another tweet that said her set ended at 3:37 AM, adding, ‘Stop. Booking. Her.’
However, others defended Hill, including Eric Lamont (@EricUnedited), who quote-retweeted Brit’s tweet, clarifying what happened.
‘Or, let’s post what actually happened. It’s very easy to get Lauryn Hill trending with false narratives. Let’s provide the facts. The entire festival was pushed back. This was literally not her fault. Me on the other hand, I would have gone home. Contract or not. Bye,’ Lamont tweeted.
Another fan dubbed @tallyohhh added, ‘I feel so bad for everybody making fun of Lauryn Hill performing late at Essence Festival, because it wasn’t even her fault. I read that the performance schedule was off by like an hour or two and pushed everything back. I’m impressed that she still performed that late! I’ve seen her live before, I’m sure it was a dope show.’
Others like Tony Cardasco (@TonyDasco) mentioned Hill was, ‘a couple of hours late in LA and late at Brooklyn Bowl.’
Still, some like Joe Arrigo (@JoeArrigo_) defended Hill, stating, ‘this is a bit misleading because the essence festival was actually running behind schedule, which played a role in her coming on late, this one wasn’t on her all the way. I have some friends that are/were there, so it’s not 100% on Lauryn Hill (this time).’
Some poked fun at the situation like @YoungQDogg, who joked, ‘At this point Lauryn Hill just shows up whenever she wants doesn’t she.’
Jerry Boese (@JerryBoese) added, ‘Lauryn Hill late ? That’s never happened lol.’
Popular Loner (@AlyxzandreaZnay) added, ‘Wtf do Lauryn Hill be doing to be soo dam late to her shows? Im genuinely curious.’
However, others defended Hill, including Eric Lamont (@EricUnedited), who quote-retweeted Brit’s tweet, clarifying what happened.
Another fan dubbed @tallyohhh added, ‘I feel so bad for everybody making fun of Lauryn Hill performing late at Essence Festival, because it wasn’t even her fault. I read that the performance schedule was off by like an hour or two and pushed everything back. I’m impressed that she still performed that late! I’ve seen her live before, I’m sure it was a dope show’
Others like Tony Cardasco (@TonyDasco) mentioned Hill was, ‘a couple of hours late in LA and late at Brooklyn Bowl.’
Still, some like Joe Arrigo (@JoeArrigo_) defended Hill, stating, ‘this is a bit misleading because the essence festival was actually running behind schedule, which played a role in her coming on late, this one wasn’t on her all the way. I have some friends that are/were there, so it’s not 100% on Lauryn Hill (this time).’
Some poked fun at the situation like @YoungQDogg, who joked, ‘At this point Lauryn Hill just shows up whenever she wants doesn’t she.’
Popular Loner (@AlyxzandreaZnay) added, ‘Wtf do Lauryn Hill be doing to be soo dam late to her shows? Im genuinely curious.’
SSDF Podcast (@SSDFpodcast) added, ‘Lauryn Hill ain’t even got that many slaps for y’all to keep letting her treat y’all like that. She just a culture icon but not finishing her show to 4am bcuz she came 2 hrs late is outta control. #LaurynHill #ESSENCEFest25.’
Others like @siriusbrown007 shared a news article about her late performance, adding, ‘Not her fault…..’
SSDF Podcast (@SSDFpodcast) added, ‘Lauryn Hill ain’t even got that many slaps for y’all to keep letting her treat y’all like that. She just a culture icon but not finishing her show to 4am bcuz she came 2 hrs late is outta control.
#LaurynHill #ESSENCEFest25.’
Others like @siriusbrown007 shared a news article about her late performance, adding, ‘Not her fault…..’
Hill first broke through as a member of The Fugees in the mid-1990s alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras.
Her 1998 solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is widely considered one of the best of all time, selling over 20 million copies worldwide.
