Lauryn Hill Plays to Near Empty Stadium at Essence Festival After Delays, Organizers Take Full Responsibility

Fugees singer and R&B icon Lauryn Hill didn’t take the Essence Fest stage until after 2 AM on opening night.

July 7, 2025, 2:45pm

Lauryn Hill was scheduled to headline the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans over the weekend, but after delays, she didn’t take the stage until 2:30 am local time, with footage revealing that much of the venue was nearly emptied by then.

NME reports that the event got off to a slow start, with many artists — such as GloRilla and the Isley Brothers — not going on til well after their initially allotted times. Ultimately, this led to Hill, the final act of the night, performing well into the early morning hours on Saturday, but honestly, how incredibly professional of her to go out there anyway and, as reports indicate, bring the house down.

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During her set, Hill performed a number of tunes from her acclaimed album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, along with some hits by the Fugees, her hip-hop trio with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. The singer also reportedly brought out her sons, Zion Marley and YG Marley, to perform some of their songs.

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In the wake of the event, Essence Festival organizers have issued a statement on the delays, taking full responsibility and showing the praise on Hill that she’s rightly earned. “Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say. Let’s be very clear— WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines,” reads a statement in a post on the fest’s Instagram page.

“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can,” the organizers added. “The delay? Not hers. We will take that.”

The statement concluded: “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.”

Frankly, it’s refreshing to hear festival organizers take accountability for issues out of artists’ control, instead of throwing them under the bus. It speaks volumes to their character as people and as an organization, and serves as evidence for how important it is to be community-minded even when business is at stake.