Believe it … Ms. Lauryn Hill never disappoints her fans. She always leaves them waiting for an hour or more. Let’s be real, though, this is the Empress. Why are you complaining?

Plus, all those other slams that critics, ex-fans, and other detractors have tossed at Hill since she started appearing in public again, i.e. her busted-ass voice, erratic reinterpretations of her hits, bad craziness … It’s total bullshit. Or at least that was the case last night.

Yes, it was already 11:07 p.m. when she finally made it to the mike. (A full hour and 15 minutes after opener Donnis had finished his short set.) And people had started to freak out, assuming the worst. Maybe Ms. Hill had suddenly decided she needed an emergency mani-pedi and just said, “Fuck UM”? (Do you remember Rock the Bells at Merriweather Post Pavilion?)

But no, the thing went down. And aside from tardiness, Hill didn’t feed any of those nasty, increasingly legendary rumors about her cracked-out divadom. (Note: By “cracked-out,” I don’t actually mean she does crack.) In fact, the diva was smiley, gracious, and borderline hyperactive.

She even gave the crowd a short verbal preview of the set to come, saying:

“If it’s alright with you, we’re gonna do some new jams. Just a little bit. Also, we’re gonna do some classics. And it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t represent from the Gong. I know we have plenty of Bob Marley fans out here.”