Sticky & Late?

She smashed box office records by grossing more than £6.7 million ($11.8 million), but Live Nation may also be finding that Madonna’s Wembley Stadium show had its downsides.

A stadium representative has confirmed it is fining LN because Madge’s Sept. 11 performance ran beyond the 10:30 p.m. curfew, but wouldn’t say if it’s as much as the £135,000 reported in the The Sun.

A Wembley source reportedly told the paper the concert was meant to start at 8:30 p.m. but Madonna didn’t come on stage until 9:10 p.m. The gig ended at 11:10 p.m. and the fine is believed to be £50,000 for every 15 minutes past the curfew.

“Her people knew about the possible implications for going over the curfew but this is a pretty hefty fine, even for Madonna,” the Sun’s source reportedly said.

LN European tours vice president Phil Bowdery told Pollstar that so far the company hasn’t paid any fines or even received a demand for any money.

The next problem concerned the number of fans who complained about the Wembley sound quality and said it was difficult to hear from the back rows.

A venue representative said Wembley is aware of such complaints and has passed some on to LN, although the rep declined to comment on the number of complaints.

Bowdery wouldn’t say how many fans have asked for their money back but said the company has a customer complaints department and he’s satisfied that it’s dealing with the matter in a very professional manner.

Wembley is mindful of its curfew because the local Brent Council, which grants the venue’s entertainment license, has been known to be strict about finishing times.

It has already released a statement explaining that each event is evaluated by the licensing authority and the police licensing team to decide a curfew.

“In the case of Madonna, it was set at 10:30 p.m. Brent Council, as the licensing authority, cannot issue fines. It’s the responsibility of the license holder (Wembley Stadium) to issue a fine they deem appropriate through their contract with the promoter,” it says.

After the show, police had to be called to help some fans make their way home because public transport had finished for the evening.