Former Fugee Lauryn Hill continued her trend of tardiness this past Friday, when she showed up more than two hours late to a show at Atlanta’s Chastain Park Amphitheatre. When asked for an explanation at the show, Hill’s explanation was captured on video: “My driver got lost,” she said. However, days later, the singer posted a long explanation to Facebook. It begins,
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.
Hill’s lateness to the Atlanta show resulted in her mic being cut off after 40 minutes of performing in order to comply with the venue’s 11 p.m. noise curfew, though she reportedly asked to have her time extended. And, while her apology starts in a way that seems a little less than legitimate, as it continues, it becomes obvious that the message comes from a sincere place.
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.
She goes on to say that the media failed to focus on the fact that fans remained happy enough after the set to rush the stage and hang with the singer — which is probably when the video of her blaming her driver was shot. So, there you have it — Hill was late, but her performance was apparently strong enough to have the fans stick around to speak with the legend.
Read the whole Facebook note here.