Madonna is facing a lawsuit for starting her recent Brooklyn concerts significantly late, more than two hours past the scheduled time. The legal action, filed on Wednesday in New York and acquired by CNN on Thursday, charges the singer with false advertising and negligent misrepresentation. During her “Celebration Tour” at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Madonna commenced her shows after 10:30 pm, despite tickets stating an 8:30 pm start.
The lawsuit claims that most concert attendees left the venue after 1 am, enduring significant inconveniences such as limited public transportation and higher costs for private transportation. Furthermore, many attendees who went to the concerts on weeknights had to wake up early for work or family responsibilities the following day.
The legal complaint names Madonna as a defendant, along with the tour operator and promoter Live Nation Worldwide, Inc; Live Nation M Tours; and Brooklyn Events Center, LLC, doing business as Barclays Center. The proposed class of plaintiffs includes ticket holders for her tour across the US, with the plaintiffs seeking an undisclosed amount in damages to be determined at trial.
The plaintiffs involved in the proposed class action “demand judgment against the Defendants for actual and consequential damages.” CNN has contacted representatives for Madonna, Live Nation, and Barclays Center for comments.
The questioned Brooklyn concerts occurred on December 13, 14, and 16 of the previous year, marking the start of the North American leg of Madonna’s “Celebration Tour.” The shows were initially scheduled for July 2023 but had to be rescheduled after Madonna was hospitalized in June due to a severe bacterial infection.
This isn’t the first time Madonna has faced legal issues for starting her shows later than fashionably acceptable. In 2019, during her “Madame X” theater tour, she was similarly sued for beginning her performance at 10:30 pm.
A concertgoer at one of Madonna’s Miami concerts in December 2019 claimed that the artist and Live Nation changed the start time for his show and several others – which were initially scheduled to begin at 8:30 pm – to 10:30 pm. That lawsuit alleged that the change in start times for Madonna’s Madame X Tour constituted a breach of contract between the singer and the ticket buyer.