‘Unacceptable’: Grammy winner Lauryn Hill plays to empty stadium after huge delay sparks outrage

The Grammy winner took the stage at 2:30am at Essence Fest, performing to a near-empty stadium after hours of chaos.

Justice for Lauryn Hill.

The Grammy Award winner, 50, took the stage at the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans over the weekend hours later than expected, forcing her to perform in front of a nearly-empty crowd at Caesars Superdome.

Hill’s set was supposed to take place late Friday night as part of the rest of the line-up, which included GloRilla, the Isley Brothers, Babyface, Maxwell, Lucky Daye and Psiryn.

The Grammy Award winner to perform in front of a nearly-empty crowd. Photo: Getty Images for ESSENCE

However, the event ran late and most of the performers didn’t go onstage until at least an hour after they were scheduled to do so.

In Hill’s case, she finally started her set at 2:30am on Saturday, just minutes after the festival announced there were “technical difficulties.”

By that time, only several hundred people were in the stadium, which can accommodate over 80,000 people.

The stadium before Lauryn Hill’s performance was almost empty. Photo: morgand.23/TikTok

Hill’s performance lasted about an hour and ended at around 3:37am, according to Nola.com. Despite the delay, Hill put on an electric performance for the crowd.

She wore a blue polka dot full-length dress with a gele atop her head as she sang some of her classics including Ex-Factor from her critically acclaimed debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Hill’s set was supposed to take place late Friday night as part of the rest of the line-up. Photo: Getty Images for ESSENCE

Hill even brought out her sons Zion Marley, 27, and YG Marley, 23, onstage to perform with her.

After belting out a rendition of Killing Me Softly With His Song as a tribute to the late Roberta Flack, Hill took a request from the crowd for her final song of the night. She chose Fu-Gee-La, a song by her hip-hop group, the Fugees.

Following the event, Essence Festival released a statement defending Hill over her delayed performance.

“Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,” the festival wrote on Instagram Sunday. “Let’s be very clear — WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines.”

“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can,” the statement continued. “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,” the festival added. “All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill.”

Hill’s devoted fans showed her support on social media as well.

Essence Fest took blame for Hill being late in a post on their Instagram story. Photo: Getty Images for ESSENCE

“If I’m Lauryn Hill, I’m probably cussing out Essence cause this is just unacceptable,” one fan wrote on X.

“It’s very easy to get Lauryn Hill trending with false narratives. Let’s provide the facts. The entire festival was pushed back,” another fan said. “This was literally not her fault.”

Ironically, Hill has a history of being late for performances. Photo: Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Someone else tweeted, “I think a few blogs and publications owe Ms. Lauryn Hill an apology. I know she’s had TERRIBLE time problems in the past, but that Essence Fest situation didn’t sound like it was on her. No need for them (or the event) to use her as a scapegoat.”

Ironically, Hill has a history of being late for performances. She even addressed her constant tardiness during a delayed concert in Los Angeles in November 2023.

“Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this blood ras stage every night,” Hill reportedly told the crowd at the time. “I don’t do it because they let me do it. I do it because I stand here in the name of God and I do it.”

This article originally appeared in New York Post and has been republished with permission.

Originally published as ‘Unacceptable’: Grammy winner Lauryn Hill plays to empty stadium after huge delay sparks outrage