MONTREAL — A frustrated Osheaga concert-goer is seeking to sue the promoter after last Friday’s headline act showed up late and after she had left.
Travis Scott, a popular U.S. rapper, arrived nearly an hour after scheduled and spent just 40 minutes on stage in a truncated set at the Montreal music festival.
Court documents seeking permission to file the class-action lawsuit allege many attendees had left the venue by the time Scott took the stage.
Among them was lead plaintiff Megan Le Stum, who said the crowd received little information on Friday night.
Le Stum, 18, decried a lack of respect from the promoters with no apologies or reimbursement for the tardy final act.
Evenko, the promoter behind Osheaga, did not reply to a request for comment on the legal action Thursday.
But according to Osheaga’s website, all festival performers, including headliners, are subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice. It further notes that no refunds will be issued if a festival performer is changed or cancelled.
Le Stum, who works part-time, purchased a $327 weekend pass and, excited for months about the opportunity to see Scott live, made her way near the front of the stage with friends.
They waited for an hour and assumed Scott was on site after Osheaga said there were technical difficulties.
Osheaga’s Twitter account noted later Friday night that Scott had been held up at the U.S.-Canadian border.
“The crowd was getting a little bit aggressive at that time, it was really hot and everyone was packed together and everyone was at first very excited and started to get disappointed,” Le Stum said in an interview Thursday.
Knowing there was a curfew on live music due to nearby suburbs, and given the increasingly rowdy nature of the crowd, she and her friends left.
“It wasn’t a good vibe, it wasn’t pleasant to be there,” Le Stum said. “We were wondering if we were even going to get a show and, at some point, we decided to leave.”
Le Stum left about 10:30 p.m., while Osheaga subsequently tweeted a video of Scott on stage at 11:15 p.m.
Lambert Avocat Inc., a Montreal law firm, filed the application against Osheaga on Monday on behalf of the university student, as well as all festival-goers who experienced prejudice or inconvenience due to Scott’s delayed arrival.
The application in Quebec Superior Court still needs to be authorized by a judge.
It is seeking $115 — the equivalent of a single day pass — plus taxes and interest on behalf of all people in attendance last Friday who bought a day or weekend pass for the festival. Weekend passes cost between $320 and $1,150.
The concert was sold out all three days with capacity crowds of 45,000 each day.
“It’s for all the 45,000 people who were there that day,” she said. “It’s only fair if they get reimbursed for what they didn’t receive on that day because they were expecting to see Travis Scott.”
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press