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- Essence Festival Defends Lauryn Hill's Delayed 2 a.m. Performance: 'We Protect Our Own No Matter What'</p>
<p>Thania GarciaJuly 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM</p>
<p>Essence Festival organizers have come to Lauryn Hill's defense after the singer appeared late — starting roughly around 2:30 a.m. — to perform for a nearly empty stadium on July 5. The festival assumed responsibility for the late start, which, according to a report from Nola, was experiencing delays throughout the entirety of Friday.</p>
<p>The festival issued a statement on their social media that praised Hill as a "legend," and explicitly stated the delay was not her fault. Hill had been added to the lineup just a few days before the festival started on Friday. The first concert date of the four-day event featured late starts from GloRilla, the Isley Brothers, Babyface and Maxwell, among others.</p>
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<p>"Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the people have to say," Essence Festival wrote in a statement. "Let's be very clear— We don't play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines." They write, Hill "arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can."</p>
<p>"The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched."</p>
<p>Though the eight-time Grammy winner has a reputation of showing up late to her concerts (the Fugees famously had to pre-tape their performance at the Global Citizen Festival in 2021 in anticipation of a delayed start), she appeared on stage at Essence Fest in good spirits, and the fans who were dedicated enough to stay were rewarded for their patience.</p>
<p>According to multiple reports, the silence between songs at the Caesars Superdome allowed Hill to interact freely with fans; she took a request for "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind," from her 2002 live acoustic album "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0," and left the stage at 3:37 a.m.</p>
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