Fans on TikTok expressed frustration over Lauryn Hill’s delayed set at the Essence Festival. One TikTok user, @Morgand23, for instance, who was visibly frustrated, recorded Hill, the show’s final act, finally hitting the stage at 2:35am CST, while also showing many unoccupied seats at the Superdome, as it got late. The Essence Festival Evening Concert schedule listed Hill’s performance time as 12:35am.
Critics have previously criticized the 50-year-old for arriving late at her shows and canceling gigs. It turned out that the delay was not her fault, due to the overbooked schedule and the concert’s transition delays, according to NOLA. Just two days before the event, Hill joined the already packed evening concert lineup.
L-R: Lauryn Hill onstage, as the final act, at the Essence Festival concert; Courtesy of NOLA; and the 2025 Essence Festival Evening Concert Schedule; Courtesy of Essence Fest
The show was already behind schedule, which changed the trajectory of the overall concert, with some of the acts performing over their time and a delay in the show’s transition.
According to NOLA, GloRilla, the fourth of eight acts, concluded her performance 45 minutes after the Isley Brothers’ scheduled start time. Babyface sang at least 10 songs that he wrote and produced in the 1980s and 1990s.
Maxwell, who performed before Hill, started at 12:55am, as reported by NOLA. After Maxwell’s performance, Hill’s band was scheduled to set up by 2:04 a.m. Hill’s band didn’t actually start playing until 2:31 a.m., according to NOLA. Despite the late start of the concert and the presence of many empty seats, Hill delivered a remarkable performance and connected personally with the fans by singing songs at their request. She closed out with Killing Me Softly before exiting the stage at 3:37am.
