Fans Are Suing Madonna for Showing Up Late to Her Brooklyn Concerts

On Wednesday, two attendees of Madonna’s Celebration Tour filed a class-action lawsuit against the singer for taking the stage two hours later than advertised. In the filing, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden claim Madonna’s “flippant difficulty” caused them to suffer a series of inconveniences in the wee hours of the morning that included being “confronted with limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs at that late hour.”

Now, before you can take umbrage with these two for being so hung up on the tardiness of an international superstar, pop culture icon, and—least of all—woman who’s notorious for being late to her own shows, I encourage some empathy. Anyone who’s ever attended a concert in New York City has suffered some degree of PTSD from the logistics alone. So, yeah, trying to find a way back two hours later than anticipated would suck.

The concerts at the center of the controversial suit occurred on December 13, 14, and 16 (a Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—all of which were publicized as beginning at 8:30 p.m. Fellows and Hadden’s suit accuses Madonna of false advertising and negligent misrepresentation as she didn’t start the show until after 10:30 p.m. on all three nights.

“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,” the filing states. Again, I can’t argue with this. Some of us with very important jobs—a blogger, for instance—can’t just call in sick. And besides, if I’m spending at least $100 to see a show that spans multiple hours during the work week, it better start in time for me not to have to pee more than once before the lights even dim.

Also named as a defendant in the suit are Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., Live Nation M Tours, and Brooklyn Events Center, LLC. An undisclosed amount in damages will reportedly be determined at a trial.

Madonna—as it’s been well-documented—has been through a lot this year. The tour itself was delayed after she was found unresponsive in July 2023. According to an update shared on Instagram via her manager, Guy Oseary, she’d “developed a serious bacterial infection which led to a several-day stay in the ICU.” By October, Madonna had returned to the stage at London’s O2 arena for the first show of the postponed tour.

Considering each show surpasses two hours and boasts multiple costume changes and a 30-song setlist, should she be allowed to be tardy for her own celebration? I guess we’ll see!