Madonna's Celebration Tour has made its way to the U.S., but her first date of this leg has some fans demanding refunds and slamming her "rude" behavior. On Wednesday, Dec. 13, the pop star performed the first North American show of her current tour at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Doors opened at 7:30 p.m., and the concert was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. with an opening act from DJ Honey Dijon. But fans were kept waiting long into the night for Madonna's set to even start—she took the stage nearly 2.5 hours late, infuriating concertgoers.
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According to Page Six, Madonna finally began her performance around 11 p.m. A source said to be close to the singer told the publication that there were some technical issues during the sound check that contributed to Madonna's lateness. They also argued that the 65-year-old star was only one hour late, since Honey Dijon's set was scheduled for 8:30 p.m. If Honey Dijon played for an hour, this would put Madonna's start time at 9:30 p.m. Some ticket buyers said on X (formerly Twitter) that she began her performance closer to 10:45 p.m.
Fans were not happy about the delay, especially since it meant the show didn't end until 1 a.m. on a weeknight. One X user posted, "why did madonna go on over TWO HOURS late like omg why did your show end at 1 am on a wednesday." Another fan wrote, "I love Madonna but it’s really [expletive] up how she’s literally like 2 hours late for her FIRST show in the us." Someone else posted, "I don't know why anyone still supports Madonna. Routinely showing up 3+ hours late is a clear indication of what she thinks of her fans." Another user said, "I don’t give a [expletive] if you’re Madonna. If you’re 3 hours late, you’re just [expletive] rude."
Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation via Getty Images
Some concertgoers demanded refunds, because Madonna's tardiness meant that they had to leave before or not long after she finally appeared. "@Ticketmaster @barclayscenter how the Madonna refunds looking. 2.5 hours late. We gotta go," wrote a fan, who then added in a second post, "fun show, would have liked to see it all lol." Another concertgoer said, "I waited 35 years to see Madonna in concert; I was so excited. But I only got to see 30 minutes of it. Madonna you should be ashamed. I want a refund." Someone commented to ticket sales company Live Nation, "2:30 hours late. I WANT A REFUND NOW."
Other fans were bothered by the lateness, but said that Madonna's show was worth it nonetheless. "She was AMAZING tonight—late but made up for it!" posted a fan on X. Another said, "Madonna showed UP at Barclays tonight. Late as [expletive] but she did the thing."
Madonna keeping fans waiting for her performances is nothing new, but some noted that the show in Brooklyn was particularly late, even for her. When she performed in London in October, OK! reported that she started an hour late, which meant that the concert had to be cut short due to a curfew rule at the venue.
Regarding Madonna's lateness, a fan posted on X, "when I got my tickets I knew she'd be late so I was expecting it. Her lack of punctuality is basically a joke at this point." Someone else wrote, "This is why I will never go to a Madonna concert. She is always extraordinarily late. It's rude."
Madonna has two more shows set for Brooklyn on Thursday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 16 before moving on to Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena. The North American leg of the Celebration Tour will run through April 26 when she performs at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.
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