Lauryn Hill Shows Up 3 Hours Late to a Show: ‘I Don’t Have an On/Off Switch.’

Image by The Come Up Show (CC by 2.0)

What happens when a Grammy-award winning artist arrives late to a concert? Just ask Lauryn Hill and Twitter.

Fans braved the cold weather in Pittsburgh last night as they filled Heinz Hall to watch Lauryn Hill perform. There was just one tiny little problem: she didn’t show up on time. In fact, she showed up three hours late. Yet, for fans, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

As part of her “MLH Caravan: Diaspora Calling” tour, concert promoters booked the singer’s Pittsburgh stop at 8pm. 8:30pm passed without any sign of Hill. Then, 9:30pm. 10:30pm finally passed, and Hill still hadn’t shown up. A distressed fan posted an image on Twitter showing the packed venue. Others had not-so-kind words (read: expletive-filled rants) for the Grammy award winner.

Dog. #laurynhill had a packed house and full band setup and didn’t show. pic.twitter.com/MYMDeHlP23

— Wells P (@Wells_P) 1 de febrero de 2017

Another joked,

“Yo you going to that Lauryn Hill concert tonight?”

Lauryn Hill: “nah you?”

— pj (@pjhoody) 1 de febrero de 2017

Several DJs panicked as they desperately attempted to fill in for Hill. Finally, after several long hours, fans gave up and went straight to the box office for a refund. Suddenly, at exactly 11:19pm, Lauryn Hill showed up. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette copy editor Erin Hebert shared an onstage photo of Hill.

UPDATE: She has appeared pic.twitter.com/XXexLv8cFN

— Erin Hebert (@erinehebert) 1 de febrero de 2017

As of late, Lauryn Hill has garnered a reputation among her fans for arriving late to her concerts. In fact, one fan joked, citing the singer’s past problems with the IRS,

“Maybe she was late because she was working on her federal tax returns.  No, that couldn’t be it.”

In fact, the criticism has become so strong that the singer has had to release a statement about her chronic lateness. In a Facebook post, she explained, imploring fans’ patience, understanding, and comprehension,

“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. 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. 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. 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.

Respectfully,
MLH”