Madonna sued over late concert by fans who “had to get up early”

Two men in New York have filed a lawsuit related to a 2023 show at the Barclays Center.

January 19, 2024
Madonna sued over late concert by fans who “had to get up early” Photo by Gotham/GC Images

A pair of Madonna fans in New York have filed legal action against the pop star after she arrived on stage two hours late during a show at the Barclays Center last year. The men claim they "had to get up early to go to work" the following day and that the late stage time constitutes "a wanton exercise in false advertising."

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The lawsuit was filed in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday (January 17), per The Guardian. The men, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, attended the December 13 date of Madonna's Celebration tour. She was due to start the show at 8.30pm but did not appear on stage until after 10:30pm, according to the lawsuit.

When the show finished at past 1am, Fellow and Hadden claim they were "left stranded in the middle of the night” and “confronted with limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs." This then led them struggling to “take care of their family responsibilities the next day”, the lawsuit alleges.

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Madonna, Barclays Center, and tour promoter Live Nation are all named in the lawsuit, which sees Fellow and Hadden accuse all three of “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” for the delay to proceedings. The suit is seeking class action status for attenders of other Celebration shows which were hit by similar delays, including shows on December 14 and 16.

The FADER has contacted Madonna, Live Nation and Barclays Center for comment.

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Madonna sued over late concert by fans who “had to get up early”