Lauryn Hill Delivers Late Performance at Essence Fest Despite Superdome’s Emptying Crowd

Lauryn Hill’s headline performance at the 2025 Essence Festival, which took place at the Caesars Superdome, ran into a scheduling issue that caused her set to start nearly two hours behind schedule. Hill, who was added to the event lineup only days before the festival, finally took the stage around 2:30 a.m., but by the time her set concluded at 3:37 a.m., the stadium was nearly empty, with only a few dedicated fans remaining. The delay was due to a chain of other performances, including GloRilla, the Isley Brothers, Babyface, and Maxwell, who also went on much later than planned. Despite the late hour, Hill performed some of her best-known tracks from her album *The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill* and from the Fugees’ *The Score*. She also brought out her sons, Zion Marley and YG Marley, for their own performances. Though some fans expressed disappointment over the delays, the Essence Festival later released a statement taking responsibility for the tardiness and defending Hill’s commitment to the performance, calling the moment “one for the books.”