Lauryn Hill Makes Fans Wait 3 Hours For Her Nails To Dry Before Disappointing 20-Minute Set At 'Rock The Bells' Concert In Washington,D.C

Lauryn Hill, the eccentric erstwhile Fugee who has mostly stayed out of sight since her lone solo album, 1998's still-scintillating R&B masterpiece "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," was clearly the lineup's chief curiosity. When it comes to her behavior over the past decade there's been no rumor too bizarre to believe. Sunday's rumor was a doozy, and it was true -- she really was three hours late to the stage because she was getting a manicure-pedicure. Suddenly, the attempt by her former band mate Wyclef Jean to become president of Haiti doesn't seem quite so self-centered.

As her 4:30 start time approached, the elaborate stage plot was ready to go. And then . . . nothing. A 10-minute wait became a half-hour, which became a full hour. Scattered heckles became heavy boos as the stage was broken down at 5:30. Meanwhile, on the festival's side stage, 22-year-old upstart Wiz Khalifa broke no new ground with his marijuana-based raps but had a few thousand people singing and puffing along to tracks from his latest mix tape, "Kush and Orange Juice." His charisma currently laps his skill on the microphone, but if Rock the Bells continues he'll be a featured act sooner rather than later.


Back at the pavilion main stage, the waiting game continued. After a staggering two hours of silence A Tribe Called Quest hit the stage to the rabid delight of festival-goers dying to hear, well, anything. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg stormed through the majority of the bass-heavy boomers from "Midnight Marauders" in addition to hits such as "Can I Kick It" and "Bonita Applebum." Instant-party starter Busta Rhymes emerged for "Oh My God," and Q-Tip further upped the showmanship ante by stripping down to just a T-shirt and boxers while performing nearly 20 rows into the crowd. It was a much-needed shot in the arm.

Her toenails apparently dry, Lauryn Hill was finally next, but she probably shouldn't have bothered. The performance was a messy rush through highlights from "Miseducation," but they were hardly recognizable due to her hoarse voice, speedy delivery and clunky, overstuffed arrangements. Hill wasn't lacking for energy, just focus. The feedback on her microphone was ear-splitting; special guest Nas came out for a 45-second cameo, and his microphone wasn't working for half of it. After 20 minutes she departed to an equal mix of cheers and boos, seemingly oblivious as to why anyone might be upset.