Overview

• An eight-act opening night ran hours behind, culminating in Lauryn Hill’s set starting at 2:30 a.m. to only a few hundred fans in the 83,000-seat Superdome.
• Festival organizers defended Hill’s punctuality with an Instagram statement declaring she “arrived on schedule,” took responsibility for the delay and praised her professionalism.
• Supporters and fellow performers rallied online to absolve Hill of blame and honor her late-night performance quality.
• Hill had been added to the lineup just days before opening night, contributing to a compressed schedule that caused cascading delays.
• Subsequent festival nights proceeded more smoothly, with headliners closing at reasonable hours after organizers adjusted the schedule.