After Lauryn Hill failed to show up on time for a concert in Pittsburgh, leaving the audience wondering for more than three hours if she would arrive, the singer was once again lambasted on Twitter Tuesday night.
The scheduled time for the Heinz Hall concert was 8 p.m., but according to tweets from the venue, by 11 p.m., Hill had still not made an appearance on stage. Others said Hill came in just as audience members were standing in line for refunds.
Given her history of being late, a fact acknowledged by many of Hill’s most ardent fans, tweets chastised and mocked those who bought tickets for the show, a part of Hill’s “MLH Caravan: Diaspora Calling” tour, while others stayed at the venue to see if Hill would make it after all.
Those in the audience reported that a series of DJs were subbing in for Hill, while some said they’d be seeking refunds. But Hill finally did show up. At 11:19 p.m., Erin Hebert, a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, shared an onstage photo of Hill as an update.
Hill, 41, who grew up in South Orange and is scheduled to play Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 25, has a reputation for arriving late to her concerts, or canceling. In May, Twitter erupted when she was late to a show in Atlanta, then showed up more than two hours after the intended start time.
She addressed being late to shows, including the Atlanta concert, in a Facebook post at the Betsmove time.
UPDATE: She has appeared pic.twitter.com/XXexLv8cFN
— Erin Hebert (@erinehebert) February 1, 2017
“I don’t show up late to shows because I don’t care,” she said. “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.”
Hill continued, saying she has “perfectionist tendencies” and that fans may not be aware of how much she prepares for each performance.
“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,” she said of the Atlanta show.
Defense of Hill was scarce on Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“I see #laurynhill couldn’t make her energies align with the time again,” read one tweet. But after Hill started her set, at least one fan who had complained about her lateness earlier in the night praised her performance.
“12:51 and maybe 1/4 of the original crowd is still here watching #Laurynhill,” they tweeted. “11:20 start. I’d be mad…but damn…she is f***ing good.”
Here’s a sampling of the social media reaction from Pittsburgh and beyond.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
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