Fans Sue Madonna Over Delayed Concert Start Times: ‘Had To Get Up Early’ The Next Day
Two Madonna fans are expressing themselves in a federal class action lawsuit filed against the pop icon on Wednesday.
Concertgoers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden allege that the singer took the stage two hours past the advertised start time for three concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on her Celebration Tour last month, according to a copy of a complaint shared by Billboard.
They add that, as a result of Madonna taking the stage after 10:30 p.m. instead of the 8:30 p.m. advertised start ― concertgoers left the venue after 1 a.m. where they faced “limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs at that late hour.”
“In addition, 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,” attorneys for the two concertgoers wrote.
The complaint points to a “long history” of Madonna arriving and starting her concerts late, claiming the singer has been “several hours late” to other concerts on the Celebration Tour, her 2016 Rebel Heart Tour, and her 2019-2020 Madame X Tour.
In addition to Madonna, the lawsuit also names Live Nation and Barclays Center as defendants who “engaged in unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices.”
Madonna has been sued before. In a similar lawsuit against the singer and Live Nation in 2019, one fan alleged a breach of contract after a show at the Fillmore Miami Beach venue changed its 8:30 p.m. scheduled start time to a 10:30 p.m. start.
She seemingly responded to the lawsuit during a show in Las Vegas that year, telling fans, “There’s something that you all need to understand and that is, that a queen is never late.”
F. A.C.T.S. 👑 .................... #madamextheatre#thecolosseumpic.twitter.com/QBV99f1Y3I
— Madonna (@Madonna) November 9, 2019
Representatives for Madonna, Live Nation and Barclays Center were not immediately available when HuffPost reached out for comment.