She once sang “time goes by so slowly”, so there’s no excuse for Madonna’s tardiness. So claim two of the queen of pop’s fans, who are suing the singer for taking to the stage two hours late, saying they “had to get up early to go to work” the next morning.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden say they bought tickets to a 13 December show at New York’s Barclays Center as part of Madonna’s Celebration tour. The lawsuit says the show was advertised to start at 8.30pm, but the 65-year-old musician didn’t appear until after 10.30pm.
By the time the two concertgoers left after 1am, 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”. The late finish on the weeknight show also affected their ability to “take care of their family responsibilities the next day”, the lawsuit alleges.
Fellows and Hadden are accusing Madonna, the Barclays Center, and the tour promoter Live Nation of “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” for the delayed start time, which the pair argue constitutes a breach of contract and “a wanton exercise in false advertising”.
The suit is seeking class action status for attenders of other Celebration shows that started late, including Madonna’s next two concerts in New York on 14 and 16 December.
Such delays are not uncommon in the live music world. Musicians, long known for their rebelliousness, diva behaviour and reckless abandon, are hardly sticklers for the rules.
Madonna has faced similar lawsuits in the past: in 2019, a Florida fan argued that her lateness on her Madame X tour was a breach of contract; and in 2020, a lawsuit was filed by two New York concertgoers (both were later voluntarily dismissed).
“Madonna is notorious for starting performances late; however, she’s not the only artist who has been late to concerts,” said Sam Allison, the head of events and partnerships at Rough Trade.
Others include Justin Bieber, who was criticised for arriving two hours late to a London show in 2013; Rihanna, who was late on multiple occasions during her Diamonds world tour; and Lauryn Hill, who has developed such a reputation for being late to her concerts that the Atlanta Black Star published a story last year with the headline: “Fans are surprised Lauryn Hill only showed up two hours late for New Jersey concert, some say it’s ‘growth’.”
During her Glastonbury headline set last year, Lana Del Rey was late enough that festival organisers cut her set by half. “I’m so fucking late they may cut my set,” the singer herself said, shortly before the midnight curfew for Glastonbury’s two main stages. “I’m sorry, my hair takes so long.”
“It’s just kind of devastating,” one fan said at the time. “I basically just came to this festival to see her.”
Reddit is also full of threads by concertgoers bemoaning stars being late to their own concerts. “Prince was legendary for his 2am shows,” one user wrote. “I was at one of them. He also walked through the crowd while he made us wait.”
Some believe all this is part of the spirit of rock’n’roll. Writing in the i last year about Madonna’s late fines, Emily Bootle said: “Everyone is very worked up because the biggest star in the world was running a bit late. So, you know, RIP rock’n’roll … Given that Madonna is an artist who has changed the course of music history, you would think we could cut her a little slack.”
But according to Allison, rules about starting performances late can vary depending on the type of performance and location. “The new lawsuit cites New York state’s Business Law 149, claiming that the concert was deceptively advertised. While there are no specific laws in the UK that hold artists legally accountable for starting a performance later than expected, it is time artists start being more respectful of their fans’ time and efforts.
“Delays can be incredibly frustrating for fans, especially if they receive very little communication about the cause of later starts, which can affect their overall enjoyment. Last year, singer George Ezra cancelled a London show with just 90 minutes’ notice, with fans already entering the venue, which left many attendees angry about wasted travel, accommodation, and costs.”
Meanwhile, Kelly Wood, the national organiser for live performance at the Musicians’ Union, said while there may be a handful of musicians who are renowned for showing up late, “we don’t consider it to be a widespread issue”.
“Musicians are generally required to meet contractual obligations, and furthermore most artists respect their audiences and appreciate the efforts they have gone to in order to attend a show,” she said.
