The old saying “late to your own funeral” may not have been coined with Lauryn Hill in mind, but it fits her quite well. The singer reportedly was three hours late for a performance in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night and fans blasted her on social media for her lack of promptness.
Hill’s touring the country on the past few months for her The MLH Caravan: A Diaspora Calling! Concert Series and, to her credit, she’s apparently been on schedule because there haven’t been as many reports of her tardiness, which were almost the new normal for her years ago. The last time she was late and cause a stir on social media was back in May 2016, which prompted the Grammy-winning singer to address the issue. “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,” she wrote in a lengthy Facebook message.
Fast forward to, Tuesday night’s performance at Heinz Hall where fans started tweeting when Hill hadn’t shown up after a few hours.
Lauryn Hill is 3+ hours late to this show & everyone is visibly (& understandably) mad but I don't get why anyone is surprised. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
— erin 🐻 is on strike (@erinaybear) February 1, 2017
Dog. #laurynhill had a packed house and full band setup and didn't show. pic.twitter.com/MYMDeHlP23
— Wells P (@Wells_P) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/lowkiiiiisavage/status/826636681486929920
Some fans started lining up to attempt at getting refunds.
https://twitter.com/jp_pgh/status/826643493472837632
Finally, Hill showed up to join her band on stage. Gauging by fans’ reactions, her actual performance was good.
UPDATE: She has appeared pic.twitter.com/XXexLv8cFN
— erin 🐻 is on strike (@erinaybear) February 1, 2017
Three hours fifteen minutes later, there is a great band playing but it’s not Lauryn Hill. pic.twitter.com/pfT6qy7oYd
— Allison (@AllisonB) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/jp_pgh/status/826669717083521025
And, once Twitter found out what happened, it was a wrap for Hill by Wednesday morning. The tweets ranged from pure jokes to some users questioning why people would gamble on buying tickets to a Hill show in the first place. “Lauryn Hill pulled a Lauryn Hill & fans r mad at her but as a fan of Lauryn Hill shouldn’t u have known she was prob gon pull a Lauryn Hill?,” wrote one user.
The answer to that is above — because she’s a phenomenal singer. But, owning a remarkable set of pipes still doesn’t allow an entertainer to keep fans waiting hours and hours after they’ve paid good money.
At this time, there’s been no statement by Hill or the venue for the delay.
View some of the Twitter reactions below.
all i know is Lauryn Hill trending BETTER be trending cause she dropped a new jawn, or she celebrating half years. or she saved a kitten.
— ?st (@questlove) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/pjhoody/status/826662930565455872
To all those still buying Lauryn Hill tickets in 2017:
Hi! I'm a Wakandan prince who is looking for a secure bank account to transfer $$$$$
— Shannon Miller (@ShannonL_Miller) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/826667617830191104
Lauryn Hill pulled a Lauryn Hill & fans r mad at her but as a fan of Lauryn Hill shouldn't u have known she was prob gon pull a Lauryn Hill?
— . (@H00PINATI) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/ChefResha/status/826659738582732800
Lauryn Hill has the final form of black people timing. Like when all the power rangers come together to form that wedge robot
— Kome (@KahunaKome) February 1, 2017
When The Purge starts and we gotta leave some of y'all behind, we're starting w/ those still buying Lauryn Hill tickets. Sorry not sorry. pic.twitter.com/o12vo7vPXF
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/hippielove/status/826779587115888641
https://twitter.com/WashedNigNog/status/826778393328902144
https://twitter.com/LisaMcCray/status/826777703256825856
https://twitter.com/SageTerrence/status/826776762826752000
