Overview

• Essence Festival organizers publicly apologized for the headliner’s delayed performance at Caesars Superdome
• Hill’s set, originally scheduled for 12:30 a.m., did not begin until 2:30 a.m. and ran until 3:37 a.m. to a nearly empty arena
• Earlier scheduling mishaps, including a late start by trio Psyrin and a 45-minute overrun by GloRilla, snowballed into the early-morning arrival
• Fans and performers such as Erykah Badu praised the festival’s accountability in defending Hill’s professionalism
• On July 8, Stephanie Mills published an open letter pressing for comprehensive logistical and technical reforms for future festivals