# Another use of the fire curtain



## derekleffew (Feb 6, 2020)

Madonna accuses theater of censorship after stagehands drop the curtain on her show


> “F*ck you motherf*ckers, censorship, motherf*cking censorship, artists are here to disturb the peace,” Madonna declared before launching into her encore number, the Pride anthem “I Rise.” Her backup dancers also brandished a Pride Flag for the number.




> Madonna herself later elaborated on the incident on Instagram. “It was 5 minutes past our 11:00 curfew – we had one more song to do and The Palladium decided to censor us by pulling down the metal fire curtain that weighs 9 tons,” she wrote. “Fortunately they stopped it halfway and no one was hurt. Many Thanks to the entire Audience who did not move and never left us. Power to The People!!”


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## Van (Feb 6, 2020)

Go home Madonna, you're drunk. Unless you're paying meal penalty and overtime.


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## SteveB (Feb 6, 2020)

Well as alternative use, ours was painted white and used as either a full projection screen, or lowered about 2 feet and became the super title screen.


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## Ben Stiegler (Feb 6, 2020)

derekleffew said:


> Madonna accuses theater of censorship after stagehands drop the curtain on her show


loss of nerve by the stage manager, perhaps. Your inability to regulate your performance time (and gosh, I wonder, start on time?) does not automatically mean our adhering to the contract is censorship. Sounds like an entitlement attitude to this jr curmudgeon...


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## MNicolai (Feb 6, 2020)

Van said:


> Go home Madonna, you're drunk. Unless you're paying meal penalty and overtime.



Not to mention a fine. I interpret "curfew" to mean their venue gets in trouble if the noise goes past 11pm. Europe, much more than the United States, takes noise pollution very seriously.


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## Darin (Feb 6, 2020)

She's a diva, meaning she probably started the show late, which ran them into the curfew


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## What Rigger? (Feb 6, 2020)

It's an indoor venue, so I don't think noise is a thing (I could be wrong). 
Yeah, sounds like and Axl Rose-style sh!t fit over the inability to get things happening on time.


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## TimMc (Feb 7, 2020)

Most artist's performance contracts give them "full artistic control" over the performance, including SPL and duration of the show. While her censorship claim is specious at best, she was likely with her contractual rights. Paying fines and dealing with overtime and meal penalties are the promoter's problem.

She may be a diva (and unpleasant) but she probably had the right to continue.


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## Ben Stiegler (Feb 7, 2020)

So check this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51398169

It wasn't the fire curtain at all. But they did cut lights and PA at the 5 min over mark. BBC says she had been strictly warned before the show. In my limited experience of London houses, indoors doesn't mean that an exiting crowd won't cause a ruckus in adjoining residential streets. Sleeping babies, early nursing shifts... lots of reasons a city zoning regulation would need to control noise in a dense city, especially on a week night. Madonna has a reputation for starting shows (hours) late. Presumably her reputation precedes her with promoters and she is worth the trouble.


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## almorton (Feb 7, 2020)

Quite so, Ben. London is really heavy on curfews, and venues have been threatened and in some cases lost their licences (if only temporarily) for overrunning.


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## almorton (Feb 7, 2020)

TimMc said:


> Most artist's performance contracts give them "full artistic control" over the performance, including SPL and duration of the show. While her censorship claim is specious at best, she was likely with her contractual rights. Paying fines and dealing with overtime and meal penalties are the promoter's problem.
> 
> She may be a diva (and unpleasant) but she probably had the right to continue.



If the licensing authority sets an *absolute *limit on the show, then in London that's it - power goes off if they refuse to comply. She *will* have been made aware of London licencing restrictions unless her tour manager isn't doing their job, so should know better. Diva hissy fit. Nothing to see. Move along.


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## RonaldBeal (Feb 7, 2020)

Having toured with Madonna, I can say with certainty, she doesn't care. She is almost always late, and willingly pays fines/penalties for going over curfew. Our show in Tel Aviv went over, and the local police were at sound foh trying to get the FOH engineer to shut it down. The local police even threatened to arrest him. He refused, and stated that she would pay his bail, and hire the best legal defense team to clear him. The show went on, and ended when she was done. Not one moment sooner. Venues don't want to tangle with the legal minefield of shutting the show down themselves, so if it is a statutory issue, they let the artist deal with it. (And her management and lawyers know it)


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## almorton (Feb 7, 2020)

Not censorship though, is it? People who really *have *suffered government sponsored censorship in totalitarian regimes will no doubt be (rightly) outraged at her pathetic childish attitude. Hers is just self entitled weight throwing, nothing more. I've got money, I can do as I please.


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## Van (Feb 7, 2020)

RonaldBeal said:


> Having toured with Madonna, I can say with certainty, she doesn't care. She is almost always late, and willingly pays fines/penalties for going over curfew. Our show in Tel Aviv went over, and the local police were at sound foh trying to get the FOH engineer to shut it down. The local police even threatened to arrest him. He refused, and stated that she would pay his bail, and hire the best legal defense team to clear him. The show went on, and ended when she was done. Not one moment sooner. Venues don't want to tangle with the legal minefield of shutting the show down themselves, so if it is a statutory issue, they let the artist deal with it. (And her management and lawyers know it)


I was going to say, isn't she in the middle of a class action lawsuit over her habitually late start times? like people waiting 2 hours for her to get her butt on stage... Man I've worked with a lot of Divas over the years but she really takes the cake.


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## TimMc (Feb 7, 2020)

almorton said:


> If the licensing authority sets an *absolute *limit on the show, then in London that's it - power goes off if they refuse to comply. She *will* have been made aware of London licencing restrictions unless her tour manager isn't doing their job, so should know better. Diva hissy fit. Nothing to see. Move along.


I'm not sympathetic to Madonna's self-created issue or her little hissy fit, don't misunderstand what I said. From her self-centered point of view - and likely her contract - she was not in the wrong and wished to pin the blame elsewhere.

Kind of like folks who buy homes near airports and then complain about the noise...


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## TimMc (Feb 7, 2020)

Van said:


> I was going to say, isn't she in the middle of a class action lawsuit over her habitually late start times? like people waiting 2 hours for her to get her butt on stage... Man I've worked with a lot of Divas over the years but she really takes the cake.



I've been watching these kinds of cases and I think there will be an up-hill battle. The *ticket* is the sole contract governing the arrangement between purchaser and presenter (note the artist(s) not a part of this loop) and read carefully what is printed on the face of the ticket. "Admit one person, on xxxxx date, xxxxx time." Was the ticket buyer admitted to the venue, on that date and time? Yes? The contract is fulfilled. Nothing on the face of the ticket extends additional rights to the purchaser. Seem stupid? Yes, it does, but the contract is not between artist and ticket buyer... Ultimately the question is one of representation (show advertised at 8pm, for example) and the ability of the presenter to enforce that with the artist. If the presenter makes good faith efforts to get the artist on stage (here's the extra champagne or hooker or moneys or whatever, Mr./Ms/They artist...) the presenter is not likely to be found liable, at least in the USA. With no contractual relationship between artist and ticket buyer these suits try to create a *legal liability* where none exists.

More hare splitting (sorry, Bugs Bunny!).


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## Scarrgo (Feb 7, 2020)

I work at an outdoor venue that has a strict 11pm curfew, no fines will be issued, they will just close the venue. 
We tell the artist that.
The switch has been thrown for one or two acts, they were not happy, but I dont care, close to a hundred folks lose their job because the artist thinks its funny or does not care.

I guess we all have our own priorities...

Sean...


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## TimMc (Feb 8, 2020)

As reported on locally....








Madonna in full meltdown a moment to be cherished | Rebecca Nicholson

The Palladium paid a ripe price for bringing down the curtain on her show



www.theguardian.com


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## Footer (Feb 8, 2020)

RonaldBeal said:


> Having toured with Madonna, I can say with certainty, she doesn't care. She is almost always late, and willingly pays fines/penalties for going over curfew. Our show in Tel Aviv went over, and the local police were at sound foh trying to get the FOH engineer to shut it down. The local police even threatened to arrest him. He refused, and stated that she would pay his bail, and hire the best legal defense team to clear him. The show went on, and ended when she was done. Not one moment sooner. Venues don't want to tangle with the legal minefield of shutting the show down themselves, so if it is a statutory issue, they let the artist deal with it. (And her management and lawyers know it)



Ya, I have no idea how they would have pulled off actually pulling the plug on it. I can't imagine a house staff on a show her size having enough control to stop it. The only thing the venue does have control of is the firewall so I guess thats what they chose. I'd probably just let it go over and let the lawyers figure it out later. Its an issue between the promoter and the artist, not house staff. If the promoter was yelling at me to stop the show because they are going over... I'd simply tell that promoter to stop it themselves, if you would like to talk to Madonna she is currently onstage and she'd be happy to discuss it with you. Otherwise, let the TM and promoter throw flat meat platters at each other in catering while they figure out who is going to do what.

Also, the person who wants to "cut the power" and wants me or one of my crew to throw a 400amp disconnect while under full load... nope.


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