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Fans Sue Madonna For 'Deceptive' Practices, Starting 'Celebration Tour' Concert Hours Late The show in question took place at Brooklyn's Barclay Center in December.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation
Madonna performs during The Celebration Tour at The O2 Arena on October 15, 2023 in London, England.

Scorned Madonna fans are feeling rather "Hung Up" about their Celebration Tour concert experience in Brooklyn — so much so that they're suing her.

Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn, New York, against Madonna, Live Nation, and the Barclays Center for "unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices" after the singer allegedly started the show two hours after she was set to begin during all three nights of her Barclays stint on December 13-15.

The men allege that the show began at 10:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m., and it ended after midnight, whch left them with limited options to get home and added expenses as ride-share and public transportation options were limited.

Related: Madonna acquires NFT from Bored Ape Yacht Club for $571,000

"Madonna had demonstrated flippant difficulty in ensuring a timely or complete performance, and Defendants were aware that any statement as to a start time for a show constituted, at best, optimistic speculation," the class-action lawsuit states, alleging that the singer has been known to show up late to shows on multiple tours.

The lawsuit also alleges that "many ticketholders who attended concerts on a weeknight had to get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day" and that concertgoers were left "waiting for hours."

The Celebration Tour, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Madonna's debut album, was postponed from July to October after the singer was sent to the ICU following a harrowing bacterial infection in June that left her unconscious.

"On Saturday, June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection, which [led] to a several-day stay in the ICU. Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected," the singer's long-time manager, Guy Oseary, said in an Instagram post, at the time. "At this time, we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour."

Madonna has not responded to the lawsuit, though she infamously posted a clip on Twitter in 2019 that said, "A queen is never late."

Live Nation has also not commented on the pending suit.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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