Madonna and LiveNation’s teams have released a joint statement in the wake of being sued for starting a Brooklyn show two hours late that essentially boils down to that old adage: “Bitch, she’s Madonna.” More specifically, the statement (via Stereogum) reads:
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.
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Last week, two fans named Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden sued Madonna, Live Nation, and Brooklyn venue Barclays Center for practicing “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” when the “Material Girl” singer began her set at 10:30 p.m. rather than the previously advertised start time of 8:30 p.m. Because the singer allegedly has a “long history of arriving and starting her concerts late,” Fellows and Hadden are claiming that the delay “constitute[s] not just a breach of their contracts... but also a wanton exercise in false advertising” and “negligent misrepresentation.” They are currently seeking class-action status.
The two fans also claim that they had access to “limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs” due to the delay, which, as a New Yorker, honestly sounds pretty fishy to this writer. It’s called the city that never sleeps for a reason! Barclays Center, where the concert was held, is located above a major transit hub servicing nine different subway lines, as well as the commuter rail to Long Island. The fare never increases! It’s not that hard to get home!
Madonna’s team clearly knows this, as it doesn’t seem like they’re feeling too threatened by the advent of this suit. The singer has almost 40 more dates scheduled on the North American leg of her Celebration tour, which kicked off this past October in London after she was forced to postpone while recovering from a viral bacterial infection. As the tour rolls on, we’ll see if Madonna continues to take her sweet time as well as if anything comes from this suit in the end.