The Essence Festival of Culture has come clean — Lauryn Hill is not to blame for a near-empty concert unbecoming of a queen.
The festival issued a statement this afternoon and admitted the R&B legend arrived “on schedule” for her opening night performance at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The festival kicked off on Friday, July 4. According to Nola.com, Hill was one of eight acts taking the main stage at the “overstuffed” concert, which also featured Maxwell, Babyface, the Isley Brothers, and GloRilla.
Hill was only added to the lineup two days earlier. With so many acts, the concert ran way behind schedule, and Babyface told the audience he was “tired as hell.”
Related: Essence Festival Criticized for ‘Largely Empty’ Lauryn Hill Performance
As the delays got worse, Hill didn’t start performing until 2:30 a.m. Saturday and ended her set at 3:37 a.m., as previously reported. By then, most of the exhausted attendees had already left and the Superdome looked like a “ghost town,” per Nola.com.
Some fans who stayed posted video of the empty seats online and social media users blamed Hill, who has a history of arriving late for shows.
But the Grammy winner’s backers said she wasn’t to blame for the delays. As controversy swirled, festival organizers released a statement on Instagram this afternoon, clearing up the confusion.
“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,” the statement read.
“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can. The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched,” Essence added. “Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them.”
This year’s festival had quite a few problems and complaints… from an ongoing Target sponsorship amid a national boycott spearheaded by African-American faith leaders over DEI rollbacks, to last minute schedule changes, and lower than expected attendance.
Festival organizers blamed an “uncertain climate” and changing travel habits for the decline in attendance.
Read the statement from Essence below:
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