Lauryn Hill headlined the primary evening of the 2025 Essence Pageant of Tradition on Friday, July 4th, simply days after being added to the lineup. When she took the stage on the Caesars Superdome practically two hours delayed round 2:30 a.m., the stadium was “primarily empty,” in keeping with NOLA.com. Whereas she is infamous for working late, this time it wasn’t solely her fault.
As reported by NOLA.com, the night ran delayed from the beginning, with every of the seven performers earlier than Hill pushing the timeline additional again. By the midpoint of the present, Memphis rapper GloRilla had completed her set 45 minutes after the Isley Brothers had been initially slated to carry out.
These delays resulted in Babyface beginning his efficiency practically two hours late round midnight, after which Maxwell not starting his scheduled 11:15 p.m. efficiency till 12:55 a.m. By the point Maxwell’s gear was cleared and Hill’s stage was set, it was 2:04 a.m. Solely “a number of hundred holdouts clustered in entrance of the stage” remained within the 83,000-capacity stadium when Hill lastly appeared.
Associated Video
In line with NOLA.com, nevertheless, Hill appeared unbothered by the “nightclub-sized crowd” whereas performing alongside her sons, Zion and YG Marley, and wrapped her set at 3:37 a.m.
Highlights included hits like “Doo Wop (That Factor),” “Killing Me Softly with His Music,” and “Fu-Gee-La,” in addition to Hill fulfilling an viewers request to play “I Gotta Discover Peace of Thoughts” from her stay album, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, regardless of admitting that “we didn’t rehearse that.”
Take a look at a number of clips from the efficiency under.
@morgand.23 #essencefest
♬ oh my god bruh oh hell na man – ok9172917