A day after a U.S. reunion tour for Lauryn Hill and the Fugees was canceled and tickets refunded without immediate explanation, the singer issued a statement late Wednesday giving her reasons for the outing being called off, attributing it to low ticket sales. Hill believes she knows why sales were suffering: because of what she calls “clickbait headlines” after she previously canceled the final stretch of a tour last fall.
In Hill’s view, the “sensationalizing” of the canceled dates in late 2023 created a climate in which fans were reluctant to buy tickets for the 2024 tour, which was to have begun this Friday.
Notably, Hill also said that the European dates she and the Fugees have scheduled for October will go on as scheduled, suggesting that fans’ hunger to see these reunion shows overseas has continued unabated.
“With difficulty the decision was made to pull down our upcoming North American tour dates,” Hill writes in her post. “The shows in the UK and Europe ARE MOVING FORWARD as planned.”
She explains: “Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlets’ penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.”
In contrast to the state of affairs in the U.S., she exults over the shows still to come in Europe, writing: “The audiences in the UK and Europe not only haven’t seen the Miseducation Anniversary performance yet, they also haven’t seen the Fugees perform together in over 25 years!”
Returning to her regrets over the canceled U.S. gigs, Hill says: “Performing for my fans is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time. Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am.”
She adds, “Know that I am not only grateful for those who appreciate and support my art, but that I FIGHT and push through all kinds of resistance to put together experiences that mean something for all of us. I love being able to bring these performances to you!”
Hill makes a vow to perform in the U.S. again, pending some change in the climate that will allow for a more robust ticketing onpsale. “We’re looking forward to performing at the shows in the UK and Europe in October — and for our fans in North America, when these unforeseen circumstances are resolved, we’ll be back in full force.”
She signs the message “With Love, Respect and Honesty.”
When Hill and the Fugees embarked on a reunion tour in late 2023, many of the arena shows played to full houses, and reviews were generally positive — with most fans taking it for granted that the concerts would start late and end after midnight, as is Hill’s custom. (Variety included one of the tour’s L.A. stops, at the Kia Forum, in a list of the best concerts of 2023.)
But the last part of the tour was called off, with vocal problems cited as the reason. “As many of you may know, I’ve been battling serious vocal strain for the past month,” she said in a Nov. 22, 2023 statement. “I made it through each show by taking prescribed prednisone, but this can be detrimental to the body when taken in large amounts over long periods of time. In order to prevent any long term negative affect on my voice and my body, I need to take time off to allow for real vocal recovery so that I can discontinue the medication completely.”
Hill’s reasons for canceling then struck many fans as legitimate, just as they seemed to be when she and the Fugees canceled a previous tour in January 2022, citing hesitancy about going out while the COVID virus was still active. But the collective history of cancellations over the years led to some widespread skepticism on social media about the likelihood of dates being fulfilled — perhaps creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, if Hill is right about that being the reason for the low sales that brought this year’s tour to a halt.
Other factors may have impacted the turnout for Hill/Fugees tickets, though. Live industry analysts have noted a softer market for touring in general this year, pointing out that the number of tickets being sold in 2024 is down from their historic peak in 2023 — although grosses have stayed roughly even, just as a result of the biggest sellout tours commanding higher prices.
The Hill/Fugees tour was set to begin on Friday in Tampa, with the American leg climaxing at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 17 and with shows in New York and New Jersey on Sept. 20-21. Other cities that were scheduled on the itinerary included Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Milwaukee.
The overseas leg of the tour that will go on as scheduled begins in Dublin Oct. 7 and ends in Hamburg on Nov. 1, with gigs in London, Manchester, Stockholm, Paris and other cities in-between.
At one of her Los Angeles concerts last year, Hill addressed some of the perceptions that have dogged her, like the perpetual lateness of her start times, and why she never released a studio follow-up to her only solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” for which the 2023-34 outings have served as an 25th anniversary tour.
“You’re saying ‘She’s late. She’s late a lot’,” she told the L.A. crowd. “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 and I do it. God is the one who allows me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community when there was no support… When [the debut] sold so many records, no one showed up and said, ‘Hey, would you like to make another one?’ So I went around the world, and I played the same album over and over and over and over again. Because we are survivors, and we’re not just survivors, we’re thrivers.”
From Variety US