Two Madonna fans in the United States are suing the American singer and songwriter for starting her concert late, alleging they “had to get up early to go to work” the following morning. According to the BBC, two admirers, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, filed a case in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday. According to the lawsuit, they purchased tickets to Madonna’s Celebration tour event on December 13th at Barclays Center. They stated that the concert was supposed to start at 20:30 EST but did not begin until after 22:30, ending about 1:00.
The two concertgoers said that they “would not have paid tickets” had they known it would finish so late, the outlet reported. In the lawsuit, they state once the concert was over, they were “left stranded in the middle of the night” and “confronted with limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs”. The case also said, “many ticketholders who attended concerts on a weeknight had to get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day”.
Tour promoters Live Nation and Barclays Center are also sued for “False Advertising”
Madonna, tour promoter Live Nation, and Barclays Center are now being sued for “false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices” by the two fans. The lawsuit also stated that on previous evenings at the same venue, on December 14 and 16, the event began more than two hours late.
“Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticketholders that the concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised, which resulted in the ticketholders waiting for hours,” the document states. It also says that Madonna “has a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late”.
The lawsuit is now seeking class-action status for spectators of other Celebration shows that began late. The claimants seek undisclosed damages, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, Madonna’s tardiness for events has been a source of contention among fans before. In 2019, a fan filed a lawsuit alleging that the singer’s lateness on her ‘Madonna X’ tour was a breach of contract. Likewise, in 2020, two New York concertgoers also filed a lawsuit against Madonna. Both lawsuits were, however, later voluntarily dismissed.