Lauryn Hill Delayed 3 A.M. Set: Essence Fest Takes Blame

Essence Festival is taking the blame for Lauryn Hill’s set being delayed until the wee hours of Friday night (July 4), when she ended up touching the New Orleans Superdome stage after 2:30 a.m. ET first thing Saturday morning.

Hill’s tardiness has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism from fans on social media throughout the weekend, but Essence Fest took to Instagram on Sunday. imploring fans to send their virtual arrows at them and not the Fugees legend.

“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,” the festival began. “Not for clicks. Not for headlines. She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can.”

Essence Fest continued: “The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them. All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill.”

Per Rolling Stone, with such an intimate audience, Hill chatted with fans and took requests for tracks such as “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” and “Tell Him.”

The Superdome venue was nearly empty when Hill took the stage for her set, which lasted until shortly after 3:35 a.m. ET. It wasn’t just Lauryn Hill’s performance that was delayed, as GloRilla, The Isley Brothers and Maxwell all had their sets postponed and jumbled around a chaotic night 1.

Erykah Badu and Jill Scott hopped into Essence‘s comments to show their support for Hill. “ACCOUNTABILITY!!! Thank you for addressing this for her all 50 of us enjoyed her that stayed til 3:30 am!!!!! Thank you Lauryn Hill,” one fan chimed in.

According to Rolling Stone, there weren’t any major delays on Saturday or Sunday, with the festival closing down around 1:30 a.m. ET.

Find the full Essence Fest statement below.