Friday afternoon, Fugees shared a bummer of an update on the reunion tour they had planned in honor of the 25th anniversary of their final album, the landmark 1996 release The Score. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel have called off the tour, citing Covid concerns.
“We anticipate and understand disappointment but our anniversary tour will not be able to happen,” the trio explain in a statement. “The continued Covid pandemic has made touring conditions difficult, and we want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe.”
“If opportunity, public safety and scheduling allow, we hope to be able to revisit this again sometime soon,” they note, finishing, “THANK YOU for all your love and support throughout the years.”
Fugees were able to play the first of the dozen late-2021 dates they had originally scheduled, performing a surprise pop-up show at New York City venue Rooftop at Pier 17 on Sept. 22—their first performance as a group in 15 years. Their set was broadcast a few days later as part of international anti-poverty charity event Global Citizen Live.
However, in late October, the trio were forced to push their remaining dates to early 2022 “to ensure the best chance that all cities on the tour are fully open so we can perform for as many fans as possible,” though they also revealed they would be “adding more cities and dates.” Today’s cancellation leaves the tour in limbo for the foreseeable future.
Watch Fugees perform “Ready or Not” via Global Citizen Live below, and hear a 1996 performance from the Paste archives further down.
