Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Video of Dave Chappelle reacting to the Fugees being cut off has gone viral
Dave Chappelle was in attendance to see the Fugees at the Diaspora Calling! Festival in Milton Keynes and was not happy with their set being cut short. A frustrated Chappelle compared cutting the set short to turning the mic off on Martin Luther King Jr.
According to reports out of England, the Milton Keynes National Bowl has strict licensing restrictions that prevent amplified music from playing past 11 p.m. The Fugees took the stage at 10 p.m., which led to Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean being cut off mid-set at 11 p.m.
Dave Chappelle invoked Martin Luther King Jr. while protesting the Fugees being cut off mid-set at Lauryn Hill’s Diaspora Calling! festival due to a venue curfew
“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,” a message on the big screen read.
Dave Chappelle, who was hosting the event, was incensed by the decision and was seen on video confronting venue staff.
“You’re f—— up history. You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King… Let us close the show. It’s a moment,” Chappelle protested “Man, y’all f—– up, I’ll never forget this.”
“The abrupt ending to Diaspora Calling! at the National Bowl continues to get people talking. As the event reached its strict 11pm curfew, the sound was cut while Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean were still on stage, bringing the much-anticipated Fugees performance to an unexpected end,” the Milton Keynes Community Hub explained on Instagram.
“And Dave Chappelle certainly didn’t appear ready for the night to finish either. Footage from the event shows Chappelle attempting to appeal for more time and keep things going, but ultimately the curfew wasn’t going to budge. The screens eventually informed the crowd that the event was legally required to finish at 11 pm as part of the venue’s licence conditions.”
The Fugees’ return to the stage was already an uphill battle before the curfew controversy. Their planned 2024 US tour was cancelled, leading Pras Michel to subsequently sue Lauryn Hill for fraud — thus, the Milton Keynes show featured only Hill and Wyclef Jean, not Pras. Despite the abrupt ending, Jean told The Sun they were “just getting started” and hoped to continue next year.