Tyla disappoints fans with late start at Outside Lands, cutting debut festival performance short

The South African artist arrived over 30 minutes late, leaving fans frustrated and her set drastically shortened.

South African artist Tyla left fans disappointed on the first day of Outside Lands after arriving more than 30 minutes late for her debut festival performance. 

Scheduled to perform at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, at the Sutro Stage, the Grammy-winning artist didn’t take the stage until 6:37 p.m., performing for less than 20 minutes. 

The singer, who gained international fame with her Afrobeats-infused single "Water," entertained the crowd with pop-R&B hits like "Safer," "Truth or Dare," and her signature track, "Water," next to a giant tiger sculpture. 

Despite the energetic set and her signature "Bacardi" dance moves, many concert goers had already left in frustration during the delay, opting to catch other performances by British electronic band Jungle and pop sensation Reneé Rapp.

While Tyla didn’t address her late start, she kept the crowd engaged with comments about the chilly San Francisco weather and her decision not to shave her armpits. 

However, the shortened performance left many fans, who were eager for more, disappointed—especially as it may be one of the last opportunities for Bay Area residents to see her live in the near future. 

The rising 22-year-old artist recently canceled all of her North American tour dates, including a planned stop at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom.

Outside Lands marks Tyla’s second U.S. festival appearance, following her performance at Chicago’s Lollapalooza last week. Earlier this year, she canceled her appearance at Coachella, citing an injury.

One fan, who had planned to see both Jungle and Tyla, expressed frustration at the delay, noting, “This is great, I just wish it was 30 minutes earlier.”