New York City, NY – Two Madonna fans have filed a lawsuit against the pop icon, claiming that she was consistently late for her recent show in New York City. The court documents reveal that the show was scheduled to start at 8:30 PM EST on all three nights, but in each instance, it did not begin until after 10:30 PM, with the performances ending around 1:00 AM. The plaintiffs argue that if they had known about the late start times, they would not have purchased tickets for the show.
The case, brought by Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, further states that many ticketholders attended the concerts on weeknights and had to wake up early the next day for work or family responsibilities. The fans are suing the concert promoter Live Nation and the venue, the Barclays Center, for allegedly engaging in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
The court papers highlight Madonna’s history of starting her concerts late, citing incidents from previous tours such as the 2016 Rebel Heart Tour and the 2019-2020 Madame X Tour. Madonna’s representatives, as well as Live Nation and the Barclays Center, have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
This is not the first time Madonna has faced legal action over her punctuality. In 2019, a fan sued the singer over a delayed U.S. show but later dismissed the case voluntarily. In response to fan complaints about her tardiness, Madonna once said in a post on social media, “There’s something that you all need to understand. And that is, that a queen is never late.”
Madonna’s Celebration tour, which commemorated the 40th anniversary of her breakout single, Holiday, included more than 40 songs from her career. The tour attracted fans from the United States, Canada, and Europe. The singer had faced health issues last summer after being hospitalized for a bacterial infection, causing her to postpone the start of the tour.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit. It remains to be seen how the court will rule on the matter and whether this legal action will prompt changes in Madonna’s future concert performances.