Madonna, Live Nation will ‘vigorously’ fight lawsuit over concert delays
Madonna: The singer, shown at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 14, 2023, is being sued by two fans who were upset that her concert began more than two hours late. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation)
By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
NEW YORK — Madonna and Live Nation are expressing themselves after a lawsuit filed by two of her fans, who were angry when a recent concert in New York City began two hours after its scheduled start.
The Material Girl, 65, and the entertainment company said in a statement on Wednesday that they dispute some of the allegations made in the class-action suit and plan to “defend this case vigorously,” Billboard reported.
According to the lawsuit, concertgoers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden accused Madonna and Live Nation of “false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.” Their complaint came after Madonna’s concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 13, 2023, began at 10:30 p.m. EST, Rolling Stone reported.
The concert originally had an advertised start of 8:30 p.m., according to the magazine. The arena was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, according to Billboard.
“The shows opened in North America at Barclays in Brooklyn as planned, with the exception of a technical issue December 13th during soundcheck,” Madonna’s representatives and Live Nation said in a joint statement. “This caused a delay that was well documented in press reports at the time. We intend to defend this case vigorously.”
In their complaint, filed in a Brooklyn federal court, Fellows and Hadden said that the concert delay caused legal harm to ticket holders, who, among other things, “had to get up early to go to work” the following day, Billboard reported.
“Defendants’ actions constitute not just a breach of their contracts … but also a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices,” attorneys for the two men wrote in the complaint, according to Billboard.
The plaintiffs are suing for unspecified damages. They claimed that they “would not have paid for tickets” had they known about the start time, People reported.
Madonna’s scheduled concert on Dec. 14 also began late, Entertainment Weekly reported. The entertainment website said the concert, which also was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m., did not begin until shortly after 10 p.m.
The concerts were part of Madonna’s Celebration Tour. They were rescheduled from July after the singer was hospitalized for “a serious bacterial infection.”
Madonna and Live Nation have been sued before by fans upset by tardy concert starts. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2019 after a show in Miami started several hours late, CNN reported.
The suit, filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, was ultimately dropped, according to Rolling Stone.
Photos: Madonna through the years 1978: Singer Madonna is shown in New York City in fall 1978. (Michael McDonnell/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 1984: American singer and actress Madonna poses outside the first MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on September 14, 1984. (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 1990: American singer and actress Madonna performs her song "Vogue" at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1990. (Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect via Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 1991: Madonna and Michael Jackson are shown at an after-party for the 63rd annual Academy Awards on March 25, 1991. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 1993: Madonna is shown at the Madison Square Show in New York City on Oct. 14, 1993. (Steve Eichner/WireImage via Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 1996: Madonna appears at the Los Angeles premiere of "Evita" on Dec. 14, 1996. (Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage via Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2001: Pop star Madonna performs in concert July 25, 2001, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2002: Singer and actress Madonna and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, arrive with their daughter, Lourdes, at the opening of the Mario Testino photography exhibition January 29, 2002, at the National Portrait Gallery in London. (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2003: Singers Britney Spears (left), Madonna and Christina Aguilera perform onstage during the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 28, 2003, in New York City. (Scott Gries/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2004: Singer/actress Madonna performs onstage during her "Re-Invention" World Tour 2004 at The Great Western Forum, May 27, 2004, in Inglewood, California. The outfit she is wearing is designed by Christian LaCroix. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2005: Singer Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, arrive at the UK Premiere of "Revolver" at the Odeon Leicester Square on September 20, 2005, in London. (Gareth Davies/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2006: Singer Madonna performs live at the LTU Arena on August 20, 2006, in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2007: Madonna performs on stage during the Live Earth concert held at Wembley Stadium on July 7, 2007, in London. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2008: Singer Madonna, with special guest singer Britney Spears, performs during her Sticky and Sweet Tour at Dodger Stadium on November 6, 2008, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2009: Singer Madonna (left) and daughter Lourdes Leon attend the New York premiere of "NINE" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 15, 2009, in New York City. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2010: Singer Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon attends the "Material Girl" collection launch at Macy's Herald Square on September 22, 2010, in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2011: Lourdes Leon (left) and Madonna arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar party hosted by Graydon Carter held at Sunset Tower on February 27, 2011, in West Hollywood, California. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2012: Nicki Minaj, Madonna and MIA perform during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012, in Indianapolis. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2013: Madonna attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Huffington Post)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2014: Singer Madonna (right) and son David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie attend the 56th Grammy Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2015: Madonna performs onstage during the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2016: Madonna attends the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016, in New York City. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2017: Madonna attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017, in New York City. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2018: Madonna attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & the Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018, in New York City. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2019: Maluma and Madonna perform onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2021: Madonna speaks onstage during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center on September 12, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS)
Photos: Madonna through the years 2022: Madonna attends a celebration of the Lola bag, hosted by Burberry & Riccardo Tisci on April 20, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Burberry)