Lauryn Hill responds to criticism about arriving late for her concerts

Lauryn Hill responds to criticism about arriving late for her concerts
Credit: Glitter Magazine

The iconic Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is currently touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, for which many fans booked their tickets in advance and soon started queueing up in lines to finally meet their favorite artist. Despite the eagerness of the fans to attend the show on time, it has been the rapper herself who has been making headlines as she has found herself at the center of a heated debate surrounding her punctuality during live performances. 

Many fans have expressed their disappointment over her tendency to arrive late for her concerts. The issue has been raised many times, which has left many fans a bit worried about future shows. This time around, it was no exception, as for her latest show on Saturday night, the singer, 48, was once again late when The Fugees members touched down in Los Angeles and addressed her failure to arrive on time. Hill addressed the crowd during the show from the stage by stating: 

“Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this blood ras stage every night,” Hill told the concert attendees. 

Further adding, “I don’t do it because they let me do it. I do it because I stand here in the name of God and I do it. God is the one who allows me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community when there was no support.” She continued, “When the album sold so many records, and no one showed up and said, ‘Hey, would you like to make another one?’ So I went around the world, and I played the same album over and over and over and over again. Because we are survivors, and we’re not just survivors, we’re thrivers.”   

This isn’t the first time that Hill has addressed her tardiness, as she recently shared a post on Instagram delving deeper into the complexities of her vocal injury issue that postponed the show and urged her fans to understand the multifaceted nature of an artist’s life on tour. She wrote, “Dear Texas, As you may know, I’ve been doing my best to overcome a serious case of vocal strain/ injury over the past week or so. I fought through the last couple shows, pushing my voice, and masking the injury with medication.”

Further stating, “This isn’t safe or sustainable. I woke up this morning hoping to have enough voice to get through tonight, but I can barely talk let alone sing or rap. I need to heal and rest the voice in order to continue the tour. For these reasons, sadly, my doctors have advised me to postpone tonight’s show. Much love to all of you for your support, and I look forward to coming back to Texas soon.” 

Take a look at the official post below on which one ticket holder commented, “Three hours before the concert is ridiculous I was about to hit the road thank God I didn’t. I feel bad for everyone that took off work and came all the way to Forth Worth just to see you…” Another commented, “Damn. Drove for days and I’m currently an hour away from checking into the hotel in Ft. Worth 🤦🏻‍♂️” Another fan commented, “So… my family flew here… took off work and my child missed school.”

 

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A post shared by Ms. Lauryn Hill (@mslaurynhill)

In another incident that happened back in 2020, the singer took to her Facebook page to explain that her lateness wasn’t a result of her not caring for her fans, quote, “I don’t show up late to shows because I don’t care. And I have nothing but Love and respect for my fans. The challenge is aligning my energy with the time, taking something that isn’t easily classified or contained, and trying to make it available for others. I don’t have an on/off switch. I am at my best when I am open, rested, sensitive, and liberated to express myself as truthfully as possible.”

Further adding, “For every performance that I’ve arrived to late, there have been countless others where I’ve performed in excess of two hours, beyond what I am contracted to do, pouring everything out on the stage. Because I care so deeply about the artistic process, I scrutinize, have perfectionist tendencies, and want space made for spontaneity, which is not an easy process, with the many moving parts on the road. Some days we are more successful than others re time.” 

She continued, “However, the vitality that is infused into the performances is always appreciated by the audiences, who may not know exactly what it took to accomplish. What hasn’t been touched upon by the media, I’m sure, are the hundreds of people who rushed the stage and stayed in excess of an hour after the show ended last night, just to connect. Our challenge is to figure out the best way to accommodate the vitality, spontaneity, and spirit that make the performances worthwhile and special to begin with, while also making that experience available and accessible to others.”

She concluded, “If I didn’t Love and respect the art, I wouldn’t be doing this. The audience and I should have that in common. My true audience knows emphatically that I care. It isn’t possible to affect people in any deep and meaningful way without putting sacrificial time in. I have nothing but Love and appreciation for the fans in Atlanta, and regret not being able to give you a full show. We are figuring out a plan to make it up to you, and will announce details as soon as we have them.” 

The next stop of her Ms. Lauryn Hill & Fugees: Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour is scheduled to happen this week on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, with the show commencing at 7:30 PM in Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA.

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