CMU School of Drama


Friday, April 05, 2024

Madonna Claps Back at Lawsuit Over Delayed Concert Start Times

consequence.netconsequence.net: Madonna has clapped back at the recent class action lawsuit filed on behalf of dissatisfied fans who were upset that her concerts started later than scheduled. The pop star’s lawyers filed a motion Wednesday urging the federal judge to dismiss the case, claiming that having “trouble getting a ride home” or needing “to wake up early the next day for work” are not cognizable injuries, Billboard reports.

4 comments:

Owen Sheehan said...

I'm kind of conflicted with this one for a few reasons because I think there are justified points on both sides. I do, however, think that the lawsuit is slightly frivolous. The biggest thing that can be learned here is that the venue should have given more information to the concertgoers on things such as who are the openers, at the very least, and if they have a schedule, when the headliner is scheduled to start. I know some might be opposed to that, however I'm used to classical music concerts and theatre, where the standard is for the doors to open 30 min to an hour before the ticket time, with the show starting at the advertised ticket time. In fairness, I've never been to a tradition style concert so my expectations may be a bit more strict that reality. That is to say, the things I've been to have been to have quite strict time tables, like if you go to broadway and the show starts 15-30 min after the start time, then there's probably a problem.

Esther said...

This is such a funny read honestly. I truly understand the frustrations of audiences that expect the performer to be out at a certain time but also people should know the culture of these performances. There are not many artists that are so extremely punctual. I have been to a couple of concerts and I do not think there has been a time where the show started when the show was advertised to start. If there are people that this was their first concert and they thought it would be a punctual event then that is human error on their part. Also the concert that is being discussed in this article is located in New York and how there was no transportation at 1am. ARE YOU KIDDING? I am currently sitting in my sister's New York apartment and I can just tell you that there is so much transportation available in the city that it is ridiculous. I think these people are just trying to pick a fight for no reason.

Sonja Meyers said...

I attended the Madonna concert in Pittsburgh, which started at around 10:30 PM when it was supposed to start at 8. Honestly, I was pretty happy about this since I didn’t acquire my ticket until 8:30, and I didn’t leave until around 9. I mean, it’s just pretty well-known concert knowledge that the headliner will never start at the ticketed time, and particularly for Madonna, starting late is just kind of part of the show. For someone who was generally new to the concept of concerts or maybe doesn’t know Madonna super well, I would understand being a little thrown off by the whole thing (I honestly didn’t really get how big of a thing the Madonna late start was until I experienced it), but it’s not really something to sue over. Especially when the big argument is “it was difficult to go to work the next day.” I mean, I made it to basic design the next day, so it’s really fine. Putting the concert fan side of myself aside, from a production standpoint, I am really intrigued about how the late start affects the whole show. It seems pretty consistent that the concert will start around 10:30, so I wonder if the crew contracts are written to expect a 10:30 start, or if they just get crazy overtime every show. I also wonder if there are any sound curfew fines placed on the concert being so late.

Marion Mongello said...

This article was really interesting and slightly confusing as the varying perspectives didn't quite line up. How can you be dissatisfied with the starting time of a concert and so angry asked to file a lawsuit, but still post things on Facebook raving about the experience? Madonna is a beloved artist that many generations have fangirled over for years and years. I think it's interesting that even though her Fame and reputation precedes her, her team still cannot manage to start a show on time. All this being said, there should be some sort of warning to get holders if a show cannot start on time and it is the artists team's responsibility to effectively communicate any changes or inconsistencies with the schedule to paying patrons. “Indeed, plaintiffs do not plead any injury that they themselves suffered by spending the night at an ‘incredible’ concert.” If there was no injury, I don’t see a problem overall other than a late show: not quite worth a lawsuit.