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Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lauryn Hill Performs For Nearly Empty Superdome At Essence Fest Hours After Scheduled Set
Lauryn Hill is no stranger to running on her own time, but her latest 'late' performance at the 2025 Essence Festival was reportedly not her fault, and under circumstances out of her control. According to attendees, Hill didn't hit the stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans until 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning (July 5) — well after most fans had called it a night. By the time she launched into her set, only a few hundred people remained in the 'nearly empty' venue that holds more than 80,000. According to the evening ran off-schedule from the start, with multiple acts finishing almost an hour behind. And to be fair, the eight-time Grammy winner wasn't just fashionably late — she was added to an already jam-packed lineup that included performances by Jill Scott, Davido, Donnell Jones, Moliy, and Buju Banton. For the fans who stayed, Ms. Hill made it count. She spoke to the intimate crowd, took a song request or two, and even brought her sons, Zion Marley and Joshua 'YG' Marley, on stage for a family moment. Her set ended around 3:30 a.m., per The Hollywood Reporter. Videos of the nearly empty stadium have been circulating on TikTok, but so have clips of her giving a heartfelt performance despite the sparse audience. Hill performed beloved hits including, 'Tell Him' and 'Zion,' as her son gave the crowd a live rendition of his viral song, 'Praise Jah In The Moonlight.' Some fans took to social media to defend her, arguing that the scheduling mess wasn't her fault and praising her for still showing up with grace. 'It was a PHENOMENAL set! I am happy and thankful that I stayed. Still feeling inspired!!!' one person commented on Instagram as another said, 'This is honestly messed up that anyone is sharing information like this. She was NOT late, the entire show started late & she didn't get to start at her scheduled time because there were two acts before her still going when she should have been on the stage.' They added, 'I was there & saw the whole thing from Glorilla to Lauryn. That woman does not deserve this negative narrative as if 'she did something wrong' or like her fans don't support her. It was late & people were just tired. Give her a break.' A third person added, 'And this my song too!! I woulda been there up at 4am enjoying her set.' See footage of Lauryn Hill performing above. More from Essence Fest 2025 Releases Statement Following Lauryn Hill Backlash Stephanie Mills Writes Open Letter To Essence Fest Over "Organizational Shortcomings" Master P Responds To Mia X's Refusal To Perform With Him At ESSENCE Fest
Black America Web
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
No Lauryn Hill Hate Allowed: The Icon Took Over Essence Festival Her Way
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Lauryn Hill's Essence Festival moment was not for the clock-watchers. The eight-time Grammy winner stepped onto the Caesars Superdome stage in New Orleans at 2:30 a.m., hours later than scheduled, and wrapped just after 3:37 a.m. The crowd had thinned, but that didn't stop the icon from delivering a full-out, heartfelt performance that fans loved. And the delay was reportedly not on her. Essence has since taken accountability for a jam-packed lineup and late-running sets that pushed everything back. This included the legend's highly anticipated stage moment. Despite the delay, Lauryn Hill showed up and showed out, reminding Essence Festival attendees why she remains an icon. The 'Doo Wop' singer made the set intimate and soulful. On stage, Lauryn rocked a regal look: a black and white polka dot dramatic fit, complete with a signature head wrap and bold gold jewelry. She didn't just sing — she served neo-soul realness. Social captures show her bantering with the crowd, taking song requests, and performing alongside her sons Zion and Joshua Marley. At one point, she admitted she hadn't rehearsed a requested song but gave it a go anyway – because that's what legends do. She also broke into 'Tell Him' after watching a fan mouth the lyrics. Yes, Ms. Hill has a history of being late, and many of these moments have gone viral. But we're not here for the slander. While several blog sites quickly posted stories about the late performance, many didn't tell the full story. And fans have come to the singer's defense. One fan wrote on a People magazine post about the incident, 'This performance shows us that we can stop this type of rhetoric. It's tired.' Another wrote, 'They lying! The event was behind schedule.' One fan ignored the lateness and just gave Lauryn her flowers, commenting, 'I would have been right in the FRONT.' Lauryn Hill is a legend. She's the moment – and will always take over a stage. SEE ALSO No Lauryn Hill Hate Allowed: The Icon Took Over Essence Festival Her Way was originally published on
IOL News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Two hours late and a sparse crowd: Lauryn Hill's performance leaves fans wondering
US singer Lauryn Hill is under fire after a two-hour concert delay. Image: X Multi-award-winning singer, Lauryn Hill performed at an almost empty stadium after being more than two hours behind schedule at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. The highly anticipated performance by the 50-year-old artist, which was initially for 12.30am Friday, July 4, finally started in the early hours of Saturday morning. The 'Tell Him' singer took to the stage around 2.30am US time and she captivated the audience for a full hour, closing her set at approximately 3.30am. Hill is known for being late for almost every performance or show she is booked at. To many fans, this was not a surprise as they claim that they know she does this all the time. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading However, this time around, it seems as though it was not the singer's fault because the entire night of the concert ran behind schedule, according to 'Nola' Artists such as Glorilla, Jazmine Sullivan Isley Brothers, Coco Jones, BabyFace and Maxwell also performed hours later than the original scheduled time which was shared on the poster. Despite other artists being late as well, Hill took the heat because many concertgoers shared videos of them waiting in anticipation for Hill with some of them sharing their frustrations about her always being late. '2.5 hours late to the stage singing to a nearly empty stadium,' @farrahferosh commented. 'She gave us disrespect and lateness. It's cute how it was filmed to look like it was a full house,' @ shared.
