Madonna Asks Court To Dismiss Lawsuit Over Concerts Running Late
Earlier this year, two fans filed a lawsuit against Madonna for “false advertising” after they attended a December 2023 show on her Celebration Tour that they claim started too late. As Billboard reports, Madonna’s lawyers have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit in a motion filed this week.
“Plaintiffs speculate that ticketholders who left the venue after 1 a.m. might have had trouble getting a ride home or might have needed to wake up early the next day for work,” the motion reads. “That is not a cognizable injury.” The motion also states that at least one of the plaintiffs, Jonathan Hadden, “raved” about the show in a Facebook post, writing that it was “incredible as always!”
At the three shows in question, which took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Madonna took the stage at 10:50PM the first night and 10:20PM the second two nights — a delay that Madonna had attributed to sound check issues. Start times at the Celebration Tour have varied, though typically Madonna has begun in or around the 10PM hour.
“Nowhere did Defendants advertise that Madonna would take the stage at 8.30 p.m., and no reasonable concertgoer — and certainly no Madonna fan — would expect the headline act at a major arena concert to take the stage at the ticketed event time,” the lawyers wrote. “Rather, a reasonable concertgoer would understand that the venue’s doors will open at or before the ticketed time, one or more opening acts may perform while attendees arrive and make their way to their seats and before the headline act takes the stage, and the headline act will take the stage later in the evening.”
“Plaintiffs do not allege Madonna’s performance was subpar, that her performance was worth less than what they paid, or that they left the concert before watching her entire performance,” the lawyers continued. “Indeed, plaintiffs do not plead any injury that they themselves suffered by spending the night at an ‘incredible’ concert.”