Two residents of New York City, enthusiastic about attending a Madonna concert, are now pursuing legal action against the iconic singer for the late commencement of her performance, which interfered with their early morning commitments the following day.
Brooklyn’s Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden from the Bronx had acquired tickets for Madonna’s “Celebration” tour performance on December 13 at the Barclays Center. The concert tickets indicated a start time of 8:30 p.m., yet the pop star did not appear on stage until after 10:45 p.m., as stated in the lawsuit. This delay led to complications for the men, who faced challenges with public transport and increased travel costs when the concert ended at 1 a.m.
Motivated possibly by Madonna’s own lyrics about self-expression, Fellows and Hadden expressed their frustration, noting that the late end to the concert posed issues for their work and family obligations the next morning.
The lawsuit targets Madonna, Live Nation, and the Barclays Center, accusing them of engaging in deceptive trade practices by advertising an 8:30 p.m. start time, fully aware that Madonna would likely not perform at the scheduled time. The plaintiffs allege a breach of contract, criticizing Madonna’s history of delayed performances.
Filed in the Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, the lawsuit seeks to attain class-action status, suggesting that this issue was not isolated but rather a common occurrence at other “Celebration” tour events. The plaintiffs are demanding unspecified compensation.
The complaint highlights Madonna’s record of arriving hours late to past concerts, a trend that continued in other cities following the Barclays Center show, including Washington, D.C. and Boston. The lawsuit argues that based on this history, it was foreseeable that the concert would not start as planned.
This legal issue arises after Madonna initiated her “Celebration Tour” in October at London’s O2 Arena, which was initially delayed due to a medical issue. Originally set to begin in July 2023, the tour was postponed because of Madonna’s hospitalization in June for a severe bacterial infection.
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This is not the first time Madonna has faced legal challenges for late concert starts. During her 2019 “Madame X” tour, multiple lawsuits were filed against her for similar reasons. Nate Hollander sued her and Live Nation in November 2019 for rescheduling a concert to a later time, but he later withdrew the case. Additionally, Andrew Panos and Antonio Velotta sued over late starts at Brooklyn shows during the same tour, reaching an undisclosed settlement in July 2020.
