Madonna in legal trouble for starting concert late

American pop diva, Madonna, has been sued by fans for starting concert late at Barclays Center, a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the New York Liberty of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

It also hosts concerts, conventions and rallies of sort.

Madonna’s fans who got tired of waiting for the concerts to start, sued her after her New York City shows last month began hours late.

What prompted the suit?

It was learnt that Madonna’s Celebration tour concerts at Barclays Center scheduled to start at 20:30 hours.

It did not, however, start until after 22:30 hours for the three nights.

Consequently, the Plaintiffs, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, dragged Madonna to a Brooklyn federal court.

The Plaintiffs, after attending the December 13 show, said they wouldn’t have bought the tickets if they knew that the show would start and end so late.

Joined as respondents in the suit are the Barclays Center and Live Nation, according to CBS report.

The complainants accused them of “wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.”

History of starting concerts late

They further noted that Madonna has a history of starting concerts late, citing a few examples.

In 2012, they noted, Madonna reportedly commenced a concert in Miami around 23:30 hours, far behind schedule.

According to the suit, in 2016, the pop diva began her Melbourne concert more than four hours late.

Her Brisbane show same year, was delayed by two hours, said the suit.

Additionally, the issue of late starts persisted beyond New York.

Madonna reportedly began a Boston show last month at approximately 22:15 hours, almost two hours past the planned time.

On one occasion, commencement of a whole tour was delayed for several hours, though the delay was attributed to Madonna’s hospitalization over a bacterial infection.

The plaintiffs regretted that by the time the concerts were announced, Madonna had already shown a casual disregard for starting her performances on time.

According to them, unlike the 2019 Florida concert, meanwhile, there was no prior warning of the late start.

Many fans that waited hours for the performance to begin, left after 01:00 hours.

The late departure brought untold hardship, they claimed, including transportation challenges back home.

The complainants further stated that many ticket holders who attended weekday concerts had to wake up early for work the next morning.

Second, not the first of its kind

Meanwhile, the latest lawsuit over late start times against Madonna is not the first of its kind.

In 2019, a Florida fan had sued Madonna over a delay, accusing her of moving the original 20:30 hours show at the Fillmore Miami Beach to 22:30 hours.

Madonna reacts

Responding to the suit, however, Madonna, through her attorneys, asked the judge to dismiss the suit, reports CBS.

In a motion filed last week seeking to dismiss the suit, she argued that the plaintiffs did not demonstrate any clear injuries or losses as a result of the delayed show.

Her lawyers stated categorically that concerts rarely start on time, and that their client in particular is well known for late starts.

They also pointed out that Hadden posted on Facebook the day after that concert that he had “never missed a Madonna Tour”.

He later told CNN he had “been to every Madonna tour since 1985”.

The late start time couldn’t have come as a surprise, the lawyers argued in the motion.

Also, rather than express angst after the show, Hadden praised the show on Facebook as “[i]ncredible, as always!”

On her part, Madonna had waved off late start accusations during a Las Vegas concert in 2019.

She had told her fans: “There’s something that you all need to understand. And that is, that a queen is never late.”

About Madonna

Born on August 16, 1958, as Madonna Louise Ciccone, she is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

She is widely recognized as the “Queen of Pop” due to her continual reinvention, versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation.

Early Career and Stardom

Madonna rose to stardom with her 1983 eponymous debut studio album.

She followed it with a series of successful albums, including all-time bestsellers like “Like a Virgin” (1984) and “True Blue” (1986).

Her Grammy Award-winning albums “Ray of Light” (1998) and “Confessions on a Dance Floor” (2005) solidified her status as a pop icon.

Chart-Topping Singles

Throughout her career, Madonna has delivered numerous chart-topping singles, including hits like:

• “Like a Virgin”
• “Papa Don’t Preach”
• “Like a Prayer”
• “Vogue”
• “Take a Bow”
• “Frozen”
• “Music”
• “Hung Up”
• “4 Minutes”

Film Roles

Madonna’s influence extends beyond music. She has appeared in notable films such as:

• “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985)
• “Dick Tracy” (1990)
• “A League of Their Own” (1992)
• “Evita” (1996) (which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress).

Madonna remains a cultural icon, inspiring generations of artists and fans alike.

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