Divine Intervention or Devilish Delay? Madonna Sued for Tardy Show Time
Leave it to the Material Girl to make a sensations entrance. At her December 13th ‘Celebration Tour’ concert in Brooklyn, ages after the advertised 8:30PM start time, Madonna finally graced the stage. But for two disgruntled concertgoers filing a lawsuit, her tardiness was no cause for celebration.
Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden state they suffered “limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs” resulting from Madge’s very late show time. The men claim needing to arise early the next morn for work and family obligations. Is the early bird intitled to catch more than just the worm?
This is hardly the first time Madonna has kept her little monsters waiting. Her storied history of staggeringly late stage entrances spans years of touring. The complaint itself concedes a “years-long history of Madonna arriving several hours late.” While fans may flock for a glimpse of the glamorous, these two night owls are crying foul.
The lawsuit levied against Ms. Ciccone and promoters Live Nation and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center alleges “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices.” According to Fellows and Hadden, advertising an 8:30 start time is “at best, optimistic speculation” considering the turn-of-midnight performance. Claims for recompense approach the ethereal, with only “unspecified damages” named.
Certainly Madonna’s Local Goddess agenda permits flouting mortals’ schedules. But can the dome of celebrity entirely eclipse the reality of making a living? As this legal brouhaha unfolds, Madonna’s “Justify My Love” defense may not satisfy the court. Her kingdom is not entirely of this earth, yet practical matters still beckon her subjects come sunrise.
Is material reality pointing the papa don’t preach finger at Madonna’s dream-making machine? Let us pray the judiciary takes a holiday, allowing the queen of reinvention to once more express herself unfettered. But misgivings linger about who will fund the fantasy. Disputes with disillusioned concertgoers risk rupturing Madonna’s revenue streams.
“Borderline” sane business practices may have finally caught up with her. As the gap widens between illusion and the nine-to-five, has Madonna’s creative candle burnt down at both ends? Blind faith can only carry one so far outside Eden’s kindly gates. While we mortals may ” Cherish” her without conditions, unpaid bills rack up in the real world.
This shocking legal twist threatens Madonna’s perennial ability to rise, phoenix-like, on angel’s wings. Will she glide above the gathering stormclouds of accountability? Or will past bad romance with reality lead to future heartbreak for the Queen of Pop? However events unfold, she remains our lucky star.
