Lauryn Hill Plays to Nearly Empty Stadium After 2:30 A.M. Start at Essence Fest
Lauryn Hill performed after 2 a.m. at the 2025 Essence Festival, ending her set with only a few hundred fans present after major delays.
Lauryn Hill’s voice still hit every note—but most of the seats at the Caesars Superdome were empty by the time she finally took the stage.
The singer was the final performer for Friday night’s (July 4) lineup at the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. But her set didn’t start until 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 5—hours after she was scheduled to go on, according to Nola.com and Stereogum.
By then, the 83,000-seat stadium had nearly cleared out. “Several hundred people” stuck around, Nola.com reported—many of them loyal fans hoping to catch even a little bit of Hill’s performance.
And they weren’t disappointed.
Even though the venue was mostly empty, Hill was in good spirits. She joked around with the crowd, honored a fan request, and even brought out her sons, Zion Marley and Joshua “YG” Marley, to perform with her.
The concert had already been running behind schedule, with earlier sets finishing nearly an hour late. Sources say Hill was added to an already-packed lineup, which may have pushed everything back even more.
Still, fans had mixed feelings. Some TikTok users posted videos of the half-lit, mostly deserted Superdome. Others rushed to defend Hill online, arguing that she wasn’t the one to blame for the late start.
Lauryn Hill has a reputation for tardy performances—but this time, it may not have been all on her.
India Arie Weighs In: “Essence is losing its essence”
Singer India Arie didn’t hold back her thoughts. After Nola.com posted about Hill’s late set on Instagram, Arie jumped into the comments with a passionate response.
“Essence is loosing its essence. I told yall this,” she wrote. “but everybody twisted my words and told me i was making non feminist statements. EVEN AFTER I wasted my time making a clear response video 😂”
Still, Arie kept it light—adding with humor, “it’s ok tho. i understaaaannnd the gaaaame. (in my Erykah Badu voice)”
But her message was clear. She wants the Essence Festival to return to its roots.
“I hope they can pull it together and come BACK to reflect the culture again. WE NEED THAT,” Arie continued. “And OUR LAURYN deserves SO much better. she deserves everything in fact. 💜”
She ended on a nostalgic note: “Essence was ALWAYS really, really a beautiful time.”
