"Starting Almost at 11 PM... Is It Even Possible?" Habitual Latecomer Madonna Faces Another Lawsuit

Madonna Starts Concert Over 2 Hours Late
"Unconscionable and Deceptive"

American pop star Madonna (65) was sued by audience members after starting her concert more than two hours late.

On the 18th (local time), US ABC News and others reported that two men living in New York, Michael Pellos and Jonathan Hayden, filed a lawsuit against Madonna and the concert organizer seeking an unspecified amount of damages. They claimed that Madonna's 'Celebration' tour concert held at the Barclays Center in New York on December 13 last year started not at the scheduled time of 8:30 PM but at 10:45 PM.

Because the concert started late and ended at 1 AM past midnight the next day, the two men were unable to use public transportation and found it difficult to use ride-hailing services, resulting in significantly increased transportation costs. They also pointed out that since this happened on a weekday, it caused major disruptions to their work attendance and family care the following day.

American pop star Madonna. [Image source=Yonhap News]

They criticized Madonna and the concert organizer for breaching the contract regarding the concert start time, calling it "unconscionable, unfair, and deceptive trade practices." They also stated that similar incidents occurred at other shows during Madonna's current tour and requested the court to treat this lawsuit as a class action. Previously, Madonna had postponed her tour schedule once after being hospitalized in June last year due to a severe bacterial infection, then resumed performing from October.

Madonna is reported to have faced similar lawsuits multiple times in the past. A man residing in Miami, Florida, filed a lawsuit in November 2019 claiming he could not attend because Madonna started the concert two hours late, but withdrew the lawsuit a month later.

At that time, the man stated in the complaint, "Madonna has a long history of arriving late to concerts and starting late," and "the concert schedule was changed to accommodate Madonna's tardiness." He also pointed out, "This is a breach of the contract between the singer and the concert ticket buyers," adding, "Fans who have to go to work or school the next day cannot attend concerts that end at 1 AM." In February 2020, two concertgoers also filed a lawsuit over a performance delayed by more than two hours, which was settled five months later.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.