Three months into her first tour in four years, singer-songwriter Madonna is facing backlash by fans for starting a concert late. Two fans didn’t let this go and ended up filing a lawsuit against the pop star for being late to her own concert.

Madonna kicked off her ‘Celebration Tour‘ in early October 2023. ‘The Celebration Tour’ is Madonna’s first tour in nearly four years. It encapsulates songs from all periods of the singer’s nearly 40 year-long career. On December 13, 2023, Madonna had a show at the Barclay’s Center in the city of Brooklyn, New York. Madonna failed to appear on the stage at the time fans were promised, 8:30 p.m., and instead ended up starting her concert at about two hours late, roughly around 10:30 p.m.

Two male fans, by the names of Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, have taken matters into their own hands by filing a lawsuit against Madonna and her promoter, Live Nation, for starting her concert late, accusing her of “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” and “false advertising.” According to the lawsuit, the concert delay left the fans stranded in New York City in the middle of the night due to the concert ending around one in the morning, an hour in which minimal public transportation is available and the transportation that is available is more expensive. The lawsuit went on to say that given Madonna’s late tendencies, the organizers should’ve warned fans about a possible delay. The fans also stated that the late start time of the concert inconvenienced them since they had to get up early the next day to work and take care of their familial responsibilities. The fans went on to say that they wouldn’t have purchased tickets had they known the concert would end past midnight.

Madonna’s management along with Live Nation, released a joint statement on January 24, 2024 firing back against the fans. In this statement, Madonna’s management and Live Nation revealed that the concert started late due to a technical issue that occurred during the singer’s soundcheck. They also revealed their commitment to defend the case and seemingly defended the singer’s impromptu delayed arrival on stage by stating that the European leg of the ‘Celebration Tour’ “received rave reviews.”

Carmen Quintero, a longtime fan of Madonna, was left displeased with the singer’s recent actions.

“I think that was very irresponsible and it shows she has no respect, love, or appreciation for her fans,” Quintero said.

Ishita Tilva, a junior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, was very upset by Madonna’s actions that upset her fans.

“I think the fans were right for suing her as performing on time is essentially part of her job,” Tilva said. “Also, many of the fans could’ve had flights to catch or places to be after the concert, and her performing late may have disrupted their plans.”