Lauryn Hill performed to a nearly-empty stadium during the 2025 Essence Festival over the weekend.

The 50-year-old singer closed out the Friday night show, but her set didn’t happen until the early morning hours of Saturday (July 5).

The event took place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., a stadium that fits 83,000 people, but only a few hundred people remained in the venue for Lauryn‘s set, according to Nola.com.

Lauryn went on stage at 2:31am and finished her set at 3:37am, but people have said that the late start was “not her fault.”

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Nola.com reports that the “entire night ran behind schedule,” with all of the acts before Lauryn going on later than they should have been. Her set was originally scheduled to begin at 12:35am.

One fan tweeted, “It’s very easy to get Lauryn Hill trending with false narratives. Let’s provide the facts. The entire festival was pushed back. This was literally not her fault.”

WOULD YOU HAVE STAYED to see Lauryn Hill perform at 2:30am?