[Source: Entertainment Weekly]

The Friday night headliner was originally scheduled to perform at 12:35 a.m., but event delays meant her set didn’t start until 2:30 a.m.

Essence Festival is defending Lauryn Hill after event delays led her headlining set to start much, much later than originally anticipated.

The eight-time Grammy winner was originally scheduled to close out Friday night’s festivities with her 12:35 a.m. performance, a post on Essence’s Instagram account confirmed.

However, due to the event running hours behind schedule, Nola.com reported that the “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” singer didn’t actually take the Caesars Superdome stage in New Orleans until 2:30 a.m. and, by that point, only several hundred people remained in the 83,000-capacity stadium to catch her set.

Hill’s delayed start time quickly courted controversy online, especially since she has received flak for showing up late to gigs in the past. In the wake of the backlash, Essence Festival cleared the air and took responsibility for the delay in an Instagram post on Sunday.

“Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,” it read. “Let’s be very clear— WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines.”

The statement continued, “She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can. The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them.”

Hill appeared to take her late start in stride at the event, taking audience requests, chatting with the crowd, and even passing the microphone to her sons Zion and Joshua “YG” Marley, per Nola.com.

The outlet noted that her performance ended at 3:37 a.m.

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