Going out during the week has always been fraught for the conscientious employee. Even those who can be reluctantly dragged out after work will often impose an early deadline on themselves and slope off early.
The cold nights of winter offer a further deterrent for those who prefer their Netflix and beauty sleep after leaving the office.
But when your favourite star is performing midweek even the most dedicated stay-at-home advocate of the school-night can be coaxed out.
And so it was that Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden bought tickets to see Madonna in New York City on 13 December, presumably expecting to get home at a decent hour. But Madge follows no timetable but her own and came on stage late. Very late, as is alleged.
It is said the show was slated for 8:30pm but did not begin until after 10:30pm, ending at around 1:00am.
A lighthearted take on HR
‘Brrr… sorry, too cold to come to the office today’
Fellows and Hadden “had to get up early to go to work” the next morning. So they have sued Madonna, the venue and the promoter, such was their concern for their productivity the next day. Presumably they felt they’d be unable to get Into The Groove.
By the time the two concertgoers left after 1:00am (note, they stayed to the end), they were, they say, “left stranded in the middle of the night” and “confronted with limited public transportation, limited ride-sharing, and/or increased public and private transportation costs”. Personnel Today commentators compared this with eating every morsel of a delicious meal that the chef had taken a long time to prepare then complaining about the aftertaste.
The case says they “would not have paid for tickets” had they known it would finish so late and accuse the singer of “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” for the delayed start time, which they argue constitutes a breach of contract and “a wanton exercise in false advertising”. Perhaps the unhappy duo were unused to going out to gigs midweek, in a sense each was Like a Virgin, and hadn’t thought to take the next day as Holiday.
Still their dedication to work and concern for their mental sharpness is to be commended, something that their employers’ HR ought to congratulate them on surely.
The suit is seeking class action status for attendees of other Celebration shows that started late, including Madonna’s next two concerts in New York on 14 and 16 December. You’d imagine Material Girl witnesses would be welcome (the weakest yet – ed).
Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Browse more human resources jobs
