Fans Drag Lauryn Hill For Late Essence Festival Set – But Sources Blame Organizers

Lauryn Hill’s late-night Essence Festival set drew backlash online, though insiders say the real issue was poor planning by event organizers.

Lauryn Hill arrived onstage at 2:31 a.m. during the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, delivering a full set to a nearly deserted Caesars Superdome after hours of delays left the crowd drained and the venue mostly cleared out.

The Friday night kickoff on July 4 unraveled into a logistical mess, with a jam-packed lineup that included Maxwell, Babyface, The Isley Brothers, GloRilla, Lucky Daye, and Coco Jones, each running behind schedule.

Hill, who was added to the bill just two days before showtime, ended up closing the night with a set that wrapped at 3:37 a.m. on Saturday.

According to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reporter Keith Spera, “the Superdome – which was never more than half full at any point Friday – was essentially empty.”

Lauryn Hill’s reputation for late arrivals followed her into the night. She’s previously shown up hours late to concerts in cities like Atlanta and London, and has addressed the criticism head-on.

“Y’all lucky I make it on this stage every night!” she once told a crowd, defending her timing.

She’s blamed delays on everything from perfectionism to energy alignment to transportation issues. In past interviews, she’s cited a lost driver and the need to feel “right” before performing.

Still, sources close to the event told AllHipHop the blame for the late start doesn’t fall squarely on Hill. Promoters reportedly failed to adjust the schedule after adding her to an already overloaded lineup, causing a domino effect of delays that pushed every act back.

Despite the sparse audience, Lauryn Hill delivered a full performance, but the late hour left social media buzzing with criticism. Many blamed her directly, even though the entire night ran off schedule.

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