Madonna rips off thousands of fans at Wembley

[ROCKERITO_MX]

That really sucks for the people who couldnt experience the concert the way it was meant to be.

Did those tickets have any warnings on them like "obstructed view" or something to that effect?

If they did then you go at your own risk.But if they had no warning then yeah that bites.

[moniquearis]

Well I think it was something he said (typed) in frustration and if he does mean it, he's incorrect. She can't be blamed for the shitty sound and blocked sightlines. She CAN be blamed for coming onstage late all the time but oh well.

Yeah. I remember going to TCT early and was waiting forever cuz the bitch was late. So, for Mimi I arrived just a bit before start time and the show started while I was lining up for merchandise. Same thing with Spice Girls. I arrived just a bit before start time and literally seconds after I got to my seats, the show started.

But itsa live concert, people shouldn't expect everything to go like clockwork. Leave some room for arrival and departure.

[markm]

London News: Madonna faces fine after turning up late and causing her show to over-run, leaving fans stranded at Wembley

by Richard Moriarty. Friday, 12 September 2008

Pics:Sticky and Sweet shots

Plus: Review

MADONNA fans were furious today after the Diva was 40 minutes late on stage at Wembley -causing them to miss their last train home.

The 50-year-old singer was scheduled on stage at 8.30pm last night for the London-leg of her Sticky and Sweet tour.

But she didn't start her first song until 9.10pm meaning her two-hour show ran past the 10.30pm curfew which is in place to ensure concert-goers can get back into central London and make rail connections.

And thousands more inside the venue walked out in disgust after speakers failed in areas of the stadium leaving them unable to hear the songs.

Fan Aidan McCann, 31, who paid £70 for his ticket, said: "I have been a Madonna fan for over 25 years and have gone to all her concerts but the one in London last night was an absolute disgrace.

"There was a lack of screens and you could not hear her. Her promoters over sold tickets for areas of the stadium where the view was really bad.

"I spoke to the customer services manager and he said they had more than 3,000 complaints within the first set and they only had five customer services people on.

"People moved into the aisles and then security were forcing people out of the stadium and into the concourse. Everyone was furious and shouting.

"After seeing Kylie Minogue recently, all I can say is that maybe it is time Madonna gave it up. Kylie charges half the price for a ticket, actually signs live, looks better and cares about the audience."

Online chatrooms were also flooded with complaints. One fan called Joe wrote: "Very, very, very bad sound! I am a huge Madonna fan and felt like it was a huge letdown.

So many people were leaving even halfway through the show.

Near me there were a foo boo's and people losing interest. Not to mention, that the stewards at one point were telling people to make the best of a bad situation and dancing to sit down!"

After the gig, thousands of people rushed to Wembley Central Tube station and police were called calm angry fans, many of whom were forced to get expensive taxis home.

The station was even closed at one point due to safety fears about overcrowding on the platform.

A TfL spokesperson said: ''Last night's Madonna concert at Wembley Stadium was scheduled to finish at 10.30pm when a high level of Tube services were scheduled to ferry concert-goers home.

"Whilst the event finished approximately 40 minutes later when Tube services were less frequent the Tube did continue to run until 1am and was heavily used. In addition 11 different bus routes were also still serving the Wembley complex.''

A spokesman for Madonna denied she was late on stage.

He said: "Stage times are only guidelines. I was at the gig and the sound was fine."

When a George Michael gig over-ran at Wembley by 13 minutes last year, the singer was fined £130, 000.

Pics:Sticky and Sweet shots

Plus: Review

Your comments

Guest_Raj says: It took about 2 mins to recognise what song was on - the sound accoustics were that bad! Sound check anyone? No....? Not in the Upper levels anyhow. Been to 7 concerts this year and this was the lamest event EVER!!

Friday 12 September 2008 16:00

Guest_tracey says: No One Seems To Have Mentioned They Ran Out Of Wrist Bands For Those Who Had Tickets To Stand On The Pitch, Even Though You Had A Ticket Saying Pitch Standing They Would Not Let You Through, So We Did'nt Get To See The Warm Up. Made My Mind Up Not To See Madonna Again Kylie Half The Price And Much More Spetacular Show.

Friday 12 September 2008 14:27

Guest_Dion says: I paid 65 pounds for seats that couldn't see the screens let alone Madonna! The sound was atrocious- it was all a bit of an expensive joke really.

Friday 12 September 2008 14:15

Guest_Natasha says: Last nights concert was very odd... I went with my sister who is a hardcore Madge fan and once we were in our seats we realised it wasn't going to be great. The stage was a million miles away! Once she was on, the screens were far too small for us to even see her properly & the sound should have been much louder. The crowd was DEAD, it was very strange....almost like we were watching a musical that we couldnt quite hear/see...Having said all of this, Madonna inspired and shocked us all with putting up images and quotes from the koran & various other religions on screen as she sung like a prayer...that was the moment that made me smile. A very strange sequence in the show was when there was a orchastrated group of greek men?? Playing various instruments and singing leila lalala I felt like I was at a dodgy hotel bar on a package holiday. More about the crowd which by far was the most shocking factor, I didnt see one black person there! The majority were gay men (ofcourse) and english women aged between 37-56. Her dance moves looked amazing but then again i dont really know because I couldnt see her. Amazing woman, not so great performer anymore..

Friday 12 September 2008 13:56

Guest_Mark says: This was my first time I went to see Madonna, and what a disgrace!!! The sound was terrible and I couldn't even understand what she was saying or singing. Not to mention the screens, which were so small I couldn't see a thing. Maybe she should spend a bit of her fortune in a better stage production getting bigger screens (i.e: Foo Fighters gig, also at the Wembley, with a 360 degrees screens on the top of the stage). The delay, was absolutely unrespectful. I did managed to get the last tube on may way home, but my housemates got at home at 4:00am!!!! They missed the tube and couldn't find any replacement bus. After walking around for 2h they finally got a cab to central London! Madonna, my darling,it's so beautiful to talk about world's problems, but what about respecting people???

Friday 12 September 2008 13:45

Guest_Ed says Ive been a huge Madonna fan for 25 years but next time I'll spend the money on my credit card bill. The sets were elaborate but the sound was atrocious and I couldnt help but feel she was simply going through the motions. Vast numbers of people left early and those of us who stuck it out were challenged by the transport home. I was one of the lucky ones who got on the tube (and even a seat!) but thousands were left stranded, unable to get home all because her Madgesty was late getting her girdled self on stage. Quite frankly she needs to put that guitar down and hang up her length nude tights!

Friday 12 September 2008 13:21

Guest_mike says: maybe the sound was great from where madonna's spokesperson was standing..probably backstage.. he should see the thousands complaining on forums, on live nation and the ones at the stadium itself..it seems that it wasnt just small parts of the stadiums..it was at least the upper terrier....which probably means 30.000 people... not being able to hear music at a music concert is a crime!

Friday 12 September 2008 12:59

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite...ticleController

[moniquearis]

10:30 curfew? WTF kinda stupid metropolis is this? Even smaller cities around the world have much later curfew time on a non-concert nite.

[markm]

There are a LOT of unhappy fans out there. As usual when fans have genuine complaints not a word from Madonna's people......

[Guest Pud Whacker]

@ 40,000 stranded. listen to me and listen carefully - that would be reported ON EVERY NEWS CHANNEL as a DISASTER for transit affairs.

i mean really? sorry about this dudes bad seats. but really?

just read above and there was a transit problem.

@ cheapo madonna having to a pay a fine. not everyone can be helicoptered in and out.

[Guest presley]

Ha ha ha...they r really Madonna fans...phalease...They are lambs or celine dion fans undercover...F*** 'em all

[notsomuch]

Once again, there are always a few that expect Madonna to do everything for them. Maybe she should have drove you home herself? Would that make you happy? Since when does Madonna hit the stage on time? You people need to shut the fuck up and deal. Sorry for the crappy seats, next time spend more and you won't have the problem.

[Guest Pud Whacker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2k8ibY4yNI

sounds good to me. even on youtube. shes singing in her typically horrible voice in give it 2 me. so whats the prob?

[Guest Pud Whacker]

[Guest Johnkm]

This thread is quite amusing...if you got bad seats, I dont see that as being anyones problem but your own, least of all Madonna's or in fact live nations, its just yours for being too slow to get good seats

Ive seen video from a friend who was in the Upper tier, fine it wasnt excellent, but it wasnt like you couldnt hear a thing, or couldnt make out what song she was singing...Its just people enjoying having something to complain about

Edited September 12, 2008 by Johnkm

[Guest Pud Whacker]

at 2:38 - 2:44 she TOTALLY FUCKS UP. so there goes the lipsyncing theory:

sorry about your situation jonski.

[Guest edmondlee]

She should do the arena show next time! too many complaints for the stadium! haha

[Guest Hafo]

She should skip London altogether...

[afrolito]

She should skip London altogether...

Not until she gets rid of Guy.

1. In any case it's not Madonna's fault that London has an idiotic transit system that shuts down at midnight.

2. She's not responsible for getting people home after her shows.

3. The technical problems last night are not her fault either.

I would never pay to see her in a stadium for 65 quid, because I would not be able to appreciate the show, the way it was meant to be appreciated from that distance.

On a side note, why is it that euros are always complaining about her being late to start her shows? I would think by now, most would know that Madonna ALWAYS starts her shows later than advertised. I've never seen her start on time. It's part of the tension she builds in an audience before the show.

[boy skeffington]

Sounds like 1 crazy fan getting the other crazy fans in an uproar. The jon guy loses all cred saying 98% is mimed. When you start acting like a loon, people will respond to you as such.

Even Madonnatribe is really just bitching about things Madonna has ZERO control over, and outright lying about the fact it was sold out (they are saying it wasn't).

Everyone I know LOVED IT.

Sounds like people lame enough to get LIMITED VIEW tickets in the BACK were upset over their fate.

Get over it.

[Raider of the lost Ark]

The whole problem with bad views and bad sound (up to some extend) was discussed already the moment it was announced she was going to play stadiums. Many people said it from the very beginning that they won´t go if they have to take those tickets, knowing the sh*tty view. I believe you don´t have to be an experienced concertgoer to realize that there are a lot of seats in a stadium show that are "difficult". This is common knowledge. So what were ticket holders of the upper levels thinking they get? If Live Nation is seriously taking into consideration to give people money back, then only to those who had seats that were not scheduled originally. Those seats that couldn´t see and hear anything, because someone didn´t check the situation before just to realize why those tickets were not on the schedule.

[moniquearis]

at 2:38 - 2:44 she TOTALLY FUCKS UP. so there goes the lipsyncing theory:

When haters get a hold of one thing about the hated artists, they latch on to it for dear life for decades to validate their hatred.

Madonna lipsynched a few time, thus she must lipsynch all the time. Mimi was fat and crazy, thus she is fat and crazy now too (well .. she's not fat now but bitch still is crazy).

[Raider of the lost Ark]

OMG the whole thing is getting worse than Davids adoption.

[Dindi]

Didn't some audience member complained about the delay in sound transmission by a few seconds? Perhaps that might have caused some to think the entire concert was lipped.

Meanwhile, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Madonna use backing tracks.

[Guest presley]

The Material Girl does it again! With a sell-out crowd of over 74,000 fans and a gross of over 12 million USD, Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour easily surpassed all previous grosses at both the old and the new Wembley Stadiums. This record breaking performance adds another first following last week's confirmation that Madonna's Zurich performance in front of 72,000 fans was the largest audience ever for a concert in Switzerland. With upcoming European sell-outs in Lisbon, Paris and Athens, the beat definitely does go on and Sticky & Sweet is certainly destined to be the tour of the year.

source : prnewswire

[Guest Topaz Scorpio]

That really sucks for the people who couldnt experience the concert the way it was meant to be.

Did those tickets have any warnings on them like "obstructed view" or something to that effect?

If they did then you go at your own risk.But if they had no warning then yeah that bites.

Sight issues were NOT the problem, and anyone complaining about that then yes, got what they paid for. SOUND was the issue here. Even if you are in a limited view seat in the upper/rear sections of a stadium, you should still be able to hear the show well. That did not appear to be the case for this show, apparently due to some blown speakers. So those people in those upper areas certainly have reason to be upset.

As to the subway drama. Well, anyone who is an M fan knows that she ALWAYS starts her shows late by at least 30-45 minutes. Those fans should've planned appropriately. But there may very well have been people at the concert who hadn't seen her live before and weren't aware of her lateness pattern, and it sucks that they got into a transportation jam. Unfortunately since the concert was scheduled to end while subway service was still active, the city could not have planned in advance to extend hours. Many cities (at least mine does) will often extend service for certain subway lines when there a major events happening in the city, but again the city needs to know in advance that the events will extend beyond normal service hours.

[ChaunceyD]

i wonder if she or live nation will make an apology

there were blown speakers? that's insane...shouldn't that be checked every day?

[Dindi]

It occured farely late. It supposedly blew during Oakenfeld's gig right before the show, so a check probably wouldn't have helped very much by that time.

[Braby]

The thing that is unfornatute is that unlike Madison Square Gardens, which is located pretty central in NYC, near Times Square and other tourist hotspots, Wembley is far from Central London and is GHETTO.

Walking around there alone at night to escape the crowds for a better chance of getting a cab or bus is no joke.

But then what can you do? It's no-one's fault. Perhaps poor organisation on Live Nation's part but don't they charge 10,000 pounds for EVERY minute past the "10.30 curfew". So, for whatever reason Madonna was late, it's cost them DEARLY.

[Guest Rali]

"On and on,

On the drama goes..."

[Guest Pud Whacker]

"On and on,

On the drama goes..."

WHATS A MADONNA SHOW WITHOUT DRAMA?

[Raider of the lost Ark]

... but don't they charge 10,000 pounds for EVERY minute past the "10.30 curfew". So, for whatever reason Madonna was late, it's cost them DEARLY.

If they made 12 million $ in revenues on ticket sales alone, they can afford it.

[Guest chicagobull]

WORDS of wisdom....there is nothing less attractive than a whinning queen.....nothing....

As we all know..in the era of the internet, nothing can be believed...i talked to people that went to the concert and said it was the best thing since the invention of THE GAY SAUNA.

I can believe people have the energy to complain...about the sound about the ride home about this about that.

Get over it....im sure you are THISCLOSE to 40 years old...its not pretty., but you probably didnt know this.....NOw you know why you are not getting LAID, dont you?

[Guest Little Red]

I’m sorry but why on earth were people still trying to get the tube after midnight? We left when the gig finished, walked to the tube station and got on the first tube that came, and got a seat easily. Anyone who was still there at midnight must have hung around afterwards for at least 30 mins so I’ve not really got any sympathy for that aspect. The tube always closes around that time during the week, they should have checked that in the first place.

There were about 60,000 people, most of whom probably relied on the tube. There is no way on earth that all those could have made it onto a train by 12 even if they had all left immediately. Also, 60,000 cannot exit the stadium all at the same time in order to leave immediately. it takes at least 30 minutes until everybody is out. people aren't hanging around, they simply have to wait until tenthousands of others have left before them.