American pop icon Madonna, who is 65, risks facing a new lawsuit for starting a concert late. As Rolling Stone magazine writes, citing documents obtained, in a complaint filed in Washington, three fans of the singer who bought tickets for the performance accuse her of breaking the law. The celebrity was two hours late for both of her shows at the city’s Capital One Arena last December as part of her holiday tour.
Elizabeth Halper-Assefi, Mary Conoboy and Nestor Monte Jr. allege that even though she was supposed to take the stage at 8:30 p.m., the Queen of Pop didn’t start her performance until 10:30 p.m. Halper-Assefi spent $992, 76 for tickets on StubHub, while the rest bought theirs from Ticketmaster. Conoboy spent $537.7 for two tickets and Monte paid $252.44 for two.
The plaintiffs claim they felt “cheated” and were forced to “leave the concerts early”, deprived of the opportunity to enjoy the entire show. They also accused the singer of maintaining a “hot and uncomfortable temperature in the hall during the performance.”
Disgruntled concertgoers said the alleged actions represented Madonna’s “arrogant and complete lack of respect” for ticket holders.
“In essence, Madonna and Live Nation are a consumer’s worst nightmare,” the lawsuit says.
At the show, Madonna gives it her all, but even her biggest fans are tired of her lateness. The lawsuit cites other examples of Madonna’s delays.
“Over the years, numerous articles have appeared in the media and on the Internet in which fans complained that Madonna did not appear on stage several hours after the announced start time of her concerts. Unfortunately, not all people who rely on concert advertising know about this,” the document said.
The performer herself does not deny that she is at fault. During her tour in Washington on December 18, she told the audience:
“I’m sorry I’m late… No, I’m not sorry, that’s just the way I am… I’m always late.”
