Lauryn Hill Sarah Morris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Lauryn Hill may not have the best track record when it comes to performing at her own concerts, but she wowed both her high school classmates and fans when she not only showed up at her Columbia High School reunion in Maplewood, New Jersey in early August, but performed some of her biggest hits.
Videos shared by former classmates on social media show the GRAMMY-winning artist unexpectedly belting out classics like “Ex-Factor” and “Ready or Not” by the Fugees. While her classmates were clearly in awe of her — “I just woke up last Saturday night….. Am I dreaming or is this really happening???? Miss Hill is definitely a gift from heaven,” one Instagram comment read — many of her fans were furious that the 49-year-old singer and the Fugees abruptly canceled their 2024 tour on August 6, just three days before the first date. No reason was given for the cancellation, but those who had purchased tickets were refunded. At the time, ticket holders posted screenshots on social media of a message from tour organizer Live Nation that read: “Your event has been canceled. We will be refunding your account shortly.”
Of course, Hill has a history of being late to her performances, and some fans also responded to her surprise performance at her high school reunion by criticizing her for not showing up to other important events.
“Lauryn Hill went missing during the 30th anniversary of ‘Sister Act 2’ but her appearance at the high school reunion made me SCREAM!”, one person said. X posts read.
“She was a year late and sang the wrong song for the class reunion,” another comment on X read.
“Thank God she has had over 30 years to be on time,” another comment on X read.
Hill mentioned her frequent late arrivals to her show last November at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“They say, ‘Oh, she’s late,’ and ‘She’s late tonight.’ Yo, you guys are so lucky that I get to be on this stage… every night,” she said. “I leave my soul on this stage. And I don’t do it because they let me. I do it because I’m standing here in the name of God. And I know that. God is the one who allowed me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community when there was no support when the album sold a lot of records and no one came up and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do another record?’”
Lauryn Hill, The Fugees Tags