Lauryn Hill performs to near-empty stadium after starting set two hours late

Lauryn Hill played to a near-empty stadium at a Louisiana music festival over the weekend after starting her set two hours late.

The Fugees star appeared at Essence Festival on Friday (July 4) at the 83,000-capacity Superdome in New Orleans – the three-day festival had performances from other acts such as Tamar Braxton, Master P, LL Cool J, Coco Jones and more.

While Hill has a reputation for arriving late and cancelling performances last minute, according to Rolling Stone, the festival had been plagued with scheduling issues the entire day; GloRilla finished her set 45 minutes after the following act, The Isley Brothers, were due to begin.

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Fellow neo soul legend Maxwell had started his set one hour and 40 minutes late, appearing on stage at 12:55AM after having originally been due to perform at 11:15PM – causing a delay to Hill's.

In clips from the show posted on TikTok, the Superdrome can be seen near-empty as Hill performed — having started her set at 2:30AM, with just a few crowd members lingering until the set finished at 3:37AM.

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In a statement shared via Instagram stories, Essence Festival defended Hill, writing: “She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can."

“The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them. All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill.”

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter