Two Madonna fans in New York are suing the pop star for starting a concert late, claiming they “had to get up early to go to work” the next morning.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden allege they bought tickets to a Dec. 13 concert at the Barclays Center as part of Madonna’s Celebration tour.
It was announced that the concert would start at 8:30 p.m., but the 65-year-old musician did not take the stage until after 10:30 p.m., according to the lawsuit.
When the concert ended at around 1am these two concert goers were “stranded in the middle of the night” and “faced with limited public transport, and/or increased public and private transport costs”. The late conclusion of the concert on Sunday also affected their ability to “take care of their family responsibilities the next day,” according to the lawsuit. Fellows and Hadden are accusing Madonna, Barclays Center and tour promoter Live Nation of “negligent, unfair and/or deceptive trade practices” over the delayed start time, which they claim constitutes breach of contract and “irresponsible false advertising.”
The lawsuit seeks class-action status for attendees of other Celebration concerts that started late, including Madonna’s two concerts in New York on Dec. 14 and 16.
Delays are not uncommon in the concert world. Madonna has faced similar lawsuits before: in 2019, when a Florida fan claimed her delay on the Madame X tour was a breach of contract and again in 2020, in a lawsuit brought by two New York concertgoers.
Both lawsuits were later voluntarily dismissed.
Madonna’s current Celebration tour has been postponed after the singer was hospitalized with a bacterial infection. The tour continues until April when Madonna will hold a concert in Mexico, The Guardian writes.
