Madonna is facing legal action from two fans who have filed a civil lawsuit accusing her of inconveniencing concertgoers after showing up more than two hours late for a show in New York.
Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden claim that the Material Girl singer, 65, didn't appear on stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center until 10.45pm on 13 December 2023 - two hours and 15 minutes after the scheduled 8.30pm start time.
In the filing, which has been viewed by NBC, lawyers Richard Klass and Marcus Corwin note that the impact of her late start meant that the show did not finish until 1am, leaving fans with "limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing" options or "increased public and private transportation costs at that late hour".
Highlighting that the show was on a Wednesday evening, the lawsuit goes on to claim that many people who attended had to "get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day".
The US outlet reports that Mr Fellows and Mr Hadden say that they "suffered actual harm" because of Madonna's lateness which include, but are "not limited" to, "annoyance, harassment, time, frustration and anger"Madonna is listed as a defendant under her full name of Madonna Louise Ciccone, along with event promoters Live Nation and the Barclays Center.
The concert was part of Madonna's Celebration Tour, celebrating her 40 years in music.
It was originally due to commence in Canada last summer, but the tour was forced to be postponed after she contracted a serious bacterial infection in late June.
The tour finally kicked off in the UK at the London O2 Arena last October, but late starts have proven a recurring theme.
In addition to rolling up late at her London shows, for which The Standard was present, Madonna is recorded as having come on stage at 9.50pm and 10.30pm, in Boston, Toronto and Detroit during her January shows, according to the Setlist.fm, a website that keeps track of songs and timings of major concerts.The Standard has contacted a representative for Madonna, Live Nation and the Barclays Center for comment.
