Pop icon Madonna is known for showing up to the stage late, and now, she’s facing a second lawsuit from frustrated concertgoers.
Madonna made headlines this year after two concertgoers sued her for her tardiness, claiming they “had to get up early to go to work.” While she filed to dismiss the suit, she’s now facing a second lawsuit from three concertgoers in Washington, D.C. The three fans — Elizabeth Halper-Asefi, Mary Conoboy, and Nestor Monte, Jr. — filed the federal class-action lawsuit against the “Like A Virgin” singer and Live Nation, claiming that their tickets to her Celebration Tour said she would take the stage at 8:30 p.m., though she didn’t make an appearance until 10: 30 p.m.
According to the filing, obtained by Rolling Stone, the concertgoers said they were “deceived” and had to “leave the concerts early prior to the concerts’ conclusion.” Additionally, the suit claimed that Madonna kept a “hot and uncomfortable temperature in the venue during her performance” and “lip sync[ed]” much of the show. The plaintiffs said these actions represent “Madonna’s arrogant and total disrespect” for ticketholders.
During the show in question on December 18, 2023, the suit claimed Madonna told the crowd: “I am sorry I am late…no, I am not sorry, it’s who I am…I’m always late.”
The suit also pointed to Madonna’s known tardiness — citing her 2016 Rebel Heart tour, as well as her Madame X concerts in Brooklyn, noting that although her alleged tardiness seems well known, “unfortunately, not all people who rely on advertising for concerts know this.
The plaintiffs cite breach of contract and misrepresentation. They are seeking damages, interest, and “any other relief.”
This follows news earlier this year where Madonna, Live Nation, and Barclays Center were named in a suit regarding her show on December 13, 2023 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Madonna has filed a motion to dismiss the suit, challenging that the concertgoers were inconvenienced by the delayed start time. The motion said tickets did not advertise that Madonna would actually 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.”
“A reasonable concertgoer would understand that the venue’s doors will open at or before the ticketed time … and the headline act will take the stage later in the evening,” the motion reads. “Fans got just what they paid for: a full-length, high-quality show by the Queen of Pop.”
