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Essence Fest Owns Up to Delays After Lauryn Hill Played to a Nearly Empty Arena at 2:30 A.M.

After Lauryn Hill played to a nearly empty crowd at 2:30 a.m., organizers of the Essence Festival have taken responsibility for the delays.

Essence Festival organizers have taken responsibility for a concert that ran so far behind schedule that Lauryn Hill wound up taking the stage at around 2:30 in the morning. Still, the Fugees legend found ways to make the most of a strange situation, chatting with the fans who stuck around and even taking some left-field requests, like “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” and “Tell Him.” Her set finished, officially, at 3:37 a.m. Saturday’s show, for instance, saw performances from Davido, Buju Banton, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott, with the latter closing out the night at the slightly more reasonable hour of 1:30 a.m.

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