Another Late-Start Lawsuit? ‘Madonna and Live Nation Are a Consumer’s Worst Nightmare,’ New Class-Action Claims

Photo Credit: Chris Weger / CC by 2.0

Live Nation and Madonna “are a consumer’s worst nightmare” – at least according to a new class-action lawsuit filed over the artist’s alleged lip-synching habit and late concert start times. Individuals who claim to have attended Madonna’s Celebration Tour just recently submitted the action in Washington, D.C., about three months after a decidedly similar suit made its way into a New York federal court.

Though the largely overlapping complaints share multiple characteristics (and an attorney), the newer filing’s arguments aren’t confined to the allegedly late hour at which Madonna took the stage in D.C. on December 18th and 19th.

Just to reiterate those start-time qualms, the April of 2024 Madonna lawsuit alleges that the 65-year-old herself only began entertaining fans at about 10:30 PM, after the doors opened at 7:30 PM and the relevant Celebration Tour shows kicked off at 8:30 PM.

More than that, however, Madonna allegedly maintained “a hot and uncomfortable temperature in the venue” and opted to “lip synch much of her performance” at the expense of fans, per the text. And as the plaintiffs (one of whom says she shelled out an eye-watering $992.76 for two tickets) see it, the alleged conduct, considered as a whole, amounts to breach of contract as well as “a wanton exercise in false advertising, intentional and negligent misrepresentation and unfair and deceptive trade practices.”

When all was said and done, the filing parties exited the venue “much later than they wanted or anticipated due to Madonna’s late start” and “were confronted with limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs at that late hour,” according to the suit.

Surprisingly, a cursory look at the plaintiffs’ backgrounds doesn’t suggest that the individuals are especially impressionable or hard up for cash. One plaintiff’s name and location match those on a LinkedIn profile belonging to a “licensed clinical psychologist,” with another’s name and location included on the profile of a longtime executive assistant at a prominent big-box retail chain. The third and final plaintiff appears to be a schoolteacher.

Regardless of how exactly these purported Madonna fans found their way into the questionable suit, Live Nation will undoubtedly refute the allegations (in the courtroom, that is) sooner rather than later. The Ticketmaster parent, which has rightfully faced criticism for genuine operational shortcomings over the years, moved to dismiss the older late-start lawsuit closer to April’s beginning.

In addition to pushing back against the claims, Live Nation in its dismissal motion noted Ticketmaster’s ironclad arbitration clause. Bearing that point in mind, the newer suit expressly emphasizes that one plaintiff (the same person who dropped close to $1,000 to attend) purchased the Madonna tickets via StubHub.