Photo Credit: Tore Sætre / CC by 4.0
Lauryn Hill and the Fugees planned to start their reunion tour this Friday in Tampa, FL—but today they cancelled the North American leg of the tour.
Dates listed on the Ticketmaster website have all been marked cancelled, while show listings on the Live Nation website informed ticket holders they would receive a refund. Lauryn Hill took to Instagram to address what happened as social media began pointing out her past lack of punctuality as a potential culprit.
“With difficulty the decision was made to pull down our upcoming North American tour dates,” the statement begins. “The shows in the UK and Europe are moving forward as planned. Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlet’s penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal,” she continues.
What ‘unfortunate portrayal’ is she alluding to here? Perhaps her own comments will shed some light. The Atlanta Black Star published a headline, “Fans Are Surprised Lauryn Hill Only Showed Up Two Hours Late for New Jersey Concert—Some Say It’s Growth,” sparking the singer to speak out on stage in November 2023.
During a November 4 show at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Lauryn Hill said, “They say, ‘she’s late a lot.’ Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this stage every night. I don’t do it because they let me do it. I do it because I stand here in the name of God.” She also told the audience that night she was “hoping to have enough voice to get through” the concert noting that she could “barely talk, let alone sing or rap.”
Her statement on Instagram continues, “The audiences in the UK and Europe not only haven’t seen the Miseducation Anniversary performance yet, they also haven’t seen the Fugees perform together in over 25 years! Performing for my fans is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time. Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am.”
Fans commenting on the cancellation of the tour shared a different sentiment, even as fans of the Fugees and Lauryn Hill herself. “This is very generous. People usually don’t find out they’re not seeing Lauryn Hill until they’re already there,” reads one comment on reddit about the news.
“I saw Lauryn Hill for 20 whole minutes one time,” another commenter chimes in. “I was at Camp Flog Gnaw, she was playing before A$AP Rocky. I’m not her biggest fan, but I definitely respect her and figured I’d go and grab a decent spot and pay my respects to a legend in the process.”
“I knew she was notoriously late to her shows and this one was no different. She needs to stop promoting that she’s playing the entirety of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill because I find it hard to believe she even has enough time to get through it.”
“I’ve seen her twice, the two experiences couldn’t be more opposite to one another. One time she was late and the show sucked, the other time she was on time and it was a 10/10 show.”
With commentary like this, the low ticket sales are no small surprise, perhaps. Most fans interested in seeing the Fugees reunion likely decided a coin flip of whether or not they’d get to see the show they bought just wasn’t worth shelling out for—especially as ticket sales are cooling off.
