Madonna and Live Nation hit back at delayed concert lawsuit, insist it was due to 'technical issue'
Madonna's Brooklyn concert wasn't delayed by two hours because of the singer, her manager and concert promoter says.
Madonna and concert promoters Live Nation will "vigorously" fight a case brought against them after Madonna was two hours late to the stage in Brooklyn.
It turns out the show on December 13 at the Barclays Center, one of three gigs she played at the venue as part of her 'Celebration Tour', was delayed due to a "technical issue", not The Queen of Pop's lateness, which she has been known for in the past.
Disgruntled fans Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden filed a lawsuit "on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated".
Madonna Management and Live Nation reacted in a statement issued to ET Online: “Madonna‘s just completed, sold out 2023 Celebration Tour in Europe received rave reviews.
“The shows opened in North America at Barclays in Brooklyn as planned, with the exception of a technical issue December 13th during soundcheck.
“This caused a delay that was well documented in press reports at the time. We intend to defend this case vigorously.”
The pair are suing Madonna and promoters Live Nation for false advertising and in court documents filed in the US District Court of Eastern New York and obtained by RadarOnline.com, the plaintiffs argued consumers were "lulled into purchasing tickets for concerts at the Barclays Center to be put on by one of the premiere performers of the past 40 years."
They noted the original July 2023 concert date was pushed back due to "illness" and rescheduled for December 2023, with "the concerts at the Barclays Center were advised to start at 8:30 PM, but Madonna did not take the stage until after 10:30 PM on all three nights, with most concert attendees leaving the Barclay Center after 1:00 AM."
As a result, they argued the end time meant they encountered issues with "limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs" and had shortened amounts of sleep before they had to "get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day".
The fans blasted the 65-year-old star for allegedly demonstrating "flippant difficulty in ensuring a timely or complete performance" and "a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices."
They claimed they were given no notice of the delayed start time, causing them to wait for hours at the venue, and highlighted Madonna's history of being late on stage, including during her 2016 'Rebel Heart' tour and other stops on her current 'Celebration' run of shows.
The complaint said: "Madonna had a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late.
"Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticket holders that the Concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised."
The fans are suing for unspecified "damages, statutory damages, treble damages, exemplary damages, costs and attorneys’ fees," and highlighted the costly tickets, including Michael's $155.90 admission fee and the $292.50 Jonathan paid to attend.
They want a trial by jury.
