“Lauryn Hill Played to a Largely Empty Stadium on Friday Night As Part of the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, After Taking the Stage Hours After Schemed. While Hill HAS A BIT OF A REPUTATION FOR LATE SHOWS, This TIME IT APPEED OUT OF HER HANDS AS ESESSION’s FIRST DAY AS A WHOLE STARTED LATE”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
While Hill HAS A BIT OF A REPUTATION FOR LATE SHOWS, THIS TIME IT APPEED OUT HER HANDS ASESnce’s First Day As A Whole Started Late on Friday. Hill Had Been Aded to the lineup Days Prior – with the rest of Friday’s lineup including glarilla, the isley Brothers, Babyface and Maxwell. Coco Jones, Who Also Stars on the Peacock Show Bel-air, Was an unannounced performer. Singer Lucky Day and Kandi Burruss’ Girl Group, Psiryn, Were Also Early Performers.
Glorilla Ended Her Set When the Isley Brothers had been screduled to end theirirs, forting the group to start at babyface’s Original Time. After the isleys’ Hour, Babyface Didn’t Start Until After Midnight, With The 19-Time Grammy Winner Diging Into His Substantial Songwriting Catlogue Delvering Rend. (“Don’t be Cruel,” “Every Little Step I Take”), Boys II Men (“I’ll Make Love To You,” “End of the Road”), TLC (“Baby-Baby-Baby,” “Red Light Light”) Toni Braxton (“Another Sad Love Song,” “Love Shoulda Brough You Home” from the Film Boomerang).
MaxWell Began Performing Mere Minutes Before 1 Am After Delivering Several of His Hits from His Debut Album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, The “Fortunate” Singer Cut His Set Short. Not Long After Maxwell’s Exit, Kenny Burns, Announced that Hill Was in the Building. As Multiple Workers Took The Stage to Change the Setup for the Beloved Star’s Performance, Time Kept Ticking Away. Even as the stage appeared equipped for a performance, The delay Continued. Technical Difficulties Were Only Announced About Five to 10 Minutes Before Hill Was AnnunCed to be Finally Coming to the Stage.
“Family is Family and Around Here We Protect Our Own No Matter What the People Have to Say,“ Essence Festival Wrote in A Statement on Instagram Sunday. “She arrived on scaredul,” The Fest Continued, Taking Responsibility for the Defending Hill. “Let’s be very clear – we don’t play about ms. Lauryn Hill. She stepped on that stage, and delivered the Kind of Performance only a Legend Can. Legacy?
While Some Fans Were Giving Her Grief Online Over the Late Start, Several Other Came to Her Defense.
Or, Let’s Post What Actuly Happy.It’s Very Easy to Get Lauryn Hill Trender with False Narratives.
Let’s Provide the Facts. The Entire Festival Was Pushed Back.
This was was literally not her fault.
Me on the Other Hand, I would have gone Home. Contract or not. Bye. https://t.co/f5juexubqv
– Eric Lamont (@ericunited) July 5, 2025
Fans who stuck around for Hill’s Performance Got A Treat. A Robust Band of More than 10 Members Played As Black History Montages Field The Background Screens. Hill Emerged in A Blue Polka Dot Full-Legth Dress Wearing A Gele Atop Her Head and A Low-Hanging Statement Necklace ShowCAZING WHAT APPEED TO BE FERTITY FIGURines.
While Hill Rarely Performs Songs As Arranged on Her Critically Accclaimed The Misteducation of Lauryn Hill, The SPED-UP Versions She Typical Opts for Live Landed Exceptionally Well. HER RANDITION OF EX-FACTOR PACKED AN EMOCONAL PUNCH. So did “to zion.”
Hill’s Voice Was Fierce and Clear As She Subtly Recounced The Pressures She Faced with the Music Industry not to Carry Her First Child. “Essence Festival – 27, 28 Years Ago, I SANG that Song About this Young Man Right Here. I Need You to Make Some Noise for Zion Marley. Come on!” She Commanded.
After Zion Performed A Couple of Songs, Hill Resured in Extremely Personable Fashion. She later broghht out of another of her Sons, YG Marley, and Demanded the Audience Give Him A Proper GREETING. He rewarded them with a robust but BRIEF Performance of Reggae Songs Like His Hit “Marching to Freedom,” Reminiscent In Tone of HIS IConic Grandfather Bob Marley. Hill Returned After His Performance with Even Even More Force, Delivering An Impassioned Rendition of “Killing Me Softly His Song” in Tribute to Roberta Flack, as Photograr. Flashed Behind Her.
Asking for permission to do One More Song, Hill Issued A Request to The Crowd, Declaring That “I Need Y’all To Get Low, Come On,“ Before Asking For The Fugees Fans in The Venue And Perform Amazingly High-Spirited as She Rhymed Furiously and Only Making the Song Trly Recognizable with the “Fu-La-La” Chorus.
“Thank you. Good night y’all. God Bless You,” Hill Said As She Ended The Show in the Early Morning. IT WAS ARGUABLY ON HER BEST Performances in Recent Memory, and She Delivered It As if The House Was Packed, Even As Only the Very Faitful Few Remoned.