Lauryn Hill and the Fugees cancel US arena tour with no explanation
Just days before Lauryn Hill and the Fugees were set to begin their US arena tour on August 9th in Tampa, Florida, the run of dates has been cancelled.
At this stage, neither Hill or her bandmates in the Fugees have released a statement acknowledging the cancellation, and bizarrely, the dates remain listed on her official website. However, Live Nation are no longer showing the tour on their website, and ticket holders have been informed about the cancellation.
The run of dates was set to see Hill reunite with the Fugees, consisting of Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean, with Hill’s son, YG Marley, also scheduled to appear on the bill. They were announced to perform an extended number of shows throughout North America, which was lined up to conclude in New Jersey on September 27th.
Ticketmaster have told those who were planning on attending the shows: “Unfortunately, the Event Organiser has had to cancel your event”.
The European leg of the tour, which begins at the 3Arena in Dublin on October 7th, remains in the calendar and looks like it will go ahead. However, considering the short notice of the US cancellation, nothing can be known for certain.
The Fugees and Hill recently expanded their European tour, with more dates announced in Cardiff, Cologne, Paris, Antwerp, Stockholm, Berlin and Hamburg which suggests that ticket sales have not been an issue.
Upon announcing the reunion in June, Hill said: “The Fugees coming back together for performances too feels like unfinished business we’re destined to handle.”
The hip-hop icon continued: “The connections are real and uncanny, and the magic and synergy between us has not been deterred by time. I believe the messages that we and the art we made embody something moving, meaningful and important for us and for the world.:
She concluded by proudly stating: “We represent not just ourselves, but our influences and our peers who took art, culture, and inspiration very seriously – who reshaped the landscape for ourselves and for those who would follow after us.”
Over the years, Hill has amassed a reputation for the unpredictable nature of her live shows and her lateness. At the Forum in Los Angeles last year, Hill defended her lack of punctuality, telling the crowd, “You’re saying, ‘She’s late, she’s late a lot.’ Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this stage every night! I don’t do it because they let me do it, I do it because I stand here in the name of God! God is the one who allows me to do it!”