Fans have vented their frustration after the Fugees‘ set was cut short at Lauryn Hill‘s Diaspora Calling! festival at Milton Keynes National Bowl.
Hill and Wyclef Jean reunited for the event on Friday (August 7) alongside Erykah Badu, Giggs and Hill’s sons YG Marley and Zion Marley – also the grandchildren of reggae icon Bob Marley.
But their set was cut short after they arrived onstage at 10pm BST and the venue was forced to end the concert early due to licensing restrictions which prevented it from continuing on past 11pm.
The pair attempted to address the crowd but their microphones were switched off, according to The Sun.
Moments later a message appeared on one of the giant on-stage screens which said: “THANK YOU EVERYONE”. We’re sorry for the abrupt finish. As part of our licence we are legally required to finish the show at 11pm and cannot continue beyond this time.”
According to a setlist, their show was due to go on for two hours with guest appearances from Tiwa Savage, Gunna and Little Simz.
NME has contacted a representative of Diaspora Calling! for comment.
Speaking following the abrupt end to the show, Wyclef Jean told The Sun: “We’re really sad how it ended. We was just getting started, so we’re hoping to continue next year.”
He added: “We had so much surprises on the line up and everybody showed up and we really felt the crowd, that love and that energy, it’s something that they need, something they feel, it just reminds you of unity. With so much division, the diaspora calling is just to remind everybody to come together.”
But many fans were left disappointed by the set with one writing on X, alongside the intended setlist: “Lauryn Hill knows her power can withstand any criticism because Diaspora Calling was the WORST festival I’ve been to in a while but seeing a Fugees reunion is a blessing.”
Lauryn Hill knows her power can withstand any criticism because Diaspora Calling was the WORST festival I’ve been to in a while but seeing a Fugees reunion is a blessing
— ada enechi (@adaenechi) August 7, 2026
Others on Reddit were even more scathing, with one writing: “The ending was ridiculous and spoiled the whole experience for me. It was meant to be 30th anniversary of the album and all we got is DJ set and like 2 tracks from the score. I don’t think I will ever pay for her [Hill] gig again.”
Another added: “Thought it was disorganised and Lauryn’s set was so short with too much downtime before. Sound quality was also shocking during most of her set. Also, I don’t know how to fully vibe with her remixed versions… hearing people awkwardly sing the studio version while she goes rogue was something.”
A third said: “She fucking “curated” this festival and was still late. disrespectful to the people that have travelled from other countries to see her.”
Another added: “I don’t know why she brought her son out half way through her set, killed the whole vibe I understand a mother’s love ect but I came to see you Lauryn. The duo flipped it around and got everyone back up again but I was robbed at the end like many people.”
One other criticised the venue for cutting the set short. “The ending was ridiculous and catastrophic. Never saw this in my life. Shame on the production. Wiclef was literally in the middle of a sentence when they just shot the microphones of everybody like bare criminals. Hallucinating. We barely had four or five songs of Lauryn which was amazing.”
On Instagram one fan wrote: “Worst festivak ever.”
The Fugees – made up of Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel – attained great success in the 1990s with their only two studio albums, 1994’s ‘Blunted On Reality’ and the classic 1996 record ‘The Score’. The group split in 1997, and have not released an album since then.
Briefly reforming between 2004 and 2006, they reunited for a tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ‘The Score’ in 2021.
However, just before their 2024 US tour, the Fugees called off their scheduled dates, with Pras suing Lauryn Hill for fraud shortly afterwards. He claimed the tour was sabotaged by Hill’s “arrogance” and “narcissistic tendencies”, also alleging that the singer included “unnecessary and, most likely fictitious expenses” within the tour budget.
In a statement shared with NME, Hill called Pras’ lawsuit “baseless” and “full of false claims and unwarranted attacks”, claiming that it “omits that he was advanced overpayment for the last tour and has failed to repay substantial loans extended by myself as an act of goodwill.”
She also claimed that Pras’ had been given “a $3million advance… which he said he required to pay his legal fees.” Pras later proclaimed that he was “done” with the Fugees, and was eventually sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Hill and Jean, meanwhile, have gone on to perform together on a number of occasions. They performed together at Roberta Flack’s memorial in 2025, with Jean joining Hill on stage to perform Fugees classics in London later that year.
Elsewhere, the duo recently said there’s “absolutely” new music in the future in a new interview with the BBC.
