BBC reviews the Circus tour!

 

Since Britney Spears's last UK concert in 2004, she has been married, had two children, got divorced, shaved off her hair, been admitted to hospital and taken her former manager and an ex-boyfriend to court.

 

Her recent TV appearances, including last year's X Factor performance, have seemed lacklustre and non-committal.

 

So the question on the opening night of her European tour was which Britney was going to turn up: The pop princess with the killer moves, or the disaster-struck diva in her slipped crown?

 

It was largely the former, "good" Britney. But it was a close call.

 

The theme for the night was the circus - a reference to the star's recent album, her fastest-seller in the UK to date.

 

Carnival rides had been erected outside the arena, while the daredevil acrobats of the Big Apple Circus provided the night's opening act.

 

Showgirl

 

When Britney appeared, descending from the ceiling, she was dressed in a red ringmaster's jacket, cracking a whip as she called her audience to attention.

 

"I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl," she trilled in the opening song, and the girl didn't lie.

 

The concert was an unparalleled visual spectacle, full of magic tricks, gymnastics and costume changes (nine in all, including policewoman and burlesque dancer).

 

On stage were dozens of clowns, dancers, unicycles, acrobats, podiums, giant picture frames, period furniture and, at the centre of it all, the mistress of ceremonies herself.

 

But if Britney pulled out all the stops to divert people's eyes, it was only so they'd ignore their ears screaming, "she's miming!"

 

It's hard to be 100% sure, of course, but it wouldn't come as a complete surprise to learn that much of the 19-song set was lip-synced.

 

The band's contribution was hard to gauge too, tucked away as they were off the main stage, providing near-identical renditions of Britney's superlative robo-pop.

 

But does any of this really matter?

 

Not really. The audience weren't there to judge a music grade examination, they just wanted to witness the phenomenon.

 

Here was a girl they'd watched grow up, identified with, idolised and then prayed for as her life fell spectacularly apart.

 

At the O2, they were willing her on, hoping for a fairytale ending to that tragic story. And she did her best to oblige.

 

Blindfold

 

Britney was focused and engaged. The dancing sizzled and the 27-year-old's moves had regained their former snap and punch.

 

One early highlight was her two-finger salute to the tabloids, Piece Of Me ("I'm Miss bad media karma, another day another drama").

 

Britney started the song in a gilded cage, trapped like a performing circus animal. By the end, she'd broken free and taken control of her former masters. Subtle? No. But a great piece of theatre.

 

When, during Touch Of My Hand, she spun into the air, blindfolded and suspended from the arm of a dancer in bondage gear, the flash of camera bulbs could have lit the Grand Canyon during a solar eclipse.

 

Elsewhere, Britney borrowed from Bollywood on a colourful Me Against The Music, and was sawn in half during Ooh Ooh Baby.

 

It wasn't until the halfway point, however, that the star remembered to address the audience.

 

It was profound, too. "What's up London?" she shouted, before launching into the night's sole ballad, Everytime, which she sang perched on the handle of a huge floating umbrella. Seriously.

 

If there was a fault to the set, it was the decision to focus on material from Britney's two most recent records at the expense of classics like Oops! I Did It Again.

 

As a result, the crowd never rose to its feet en masse until the show's closing one-two-three sucker punch of Toxic, ...Baby One More Time and Womanizer.

 

Meanwhile, the choreography - so tight and intricate at the beginning - began to drift into aimless posing and hip-swivelling.

 

Britney was a particular culprit here, strutting across the stage while her dancers put in the hard work around her.

 

So, in the end, she didn't quite give it her all.

 

But maybe it's a good thing that Britney has finally learned to hold something back for herself.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8081138.stm

 

 

Very positive overall

OMG! Last night was completely out of this world! Possibly the best night of my life! It was incredible. Words can't describe it. I might post a review later on. :heart:

Please do ^ LOVE to hear all about it

Digitalspy Review:

 

Britney Spears: Live in London

Thursday, June 4 2009, 12:10 BST

 

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

 

As you've no doubt heard, Britney Spears kicked off the European leg of her 'Circus' tour at London's O2 Arena last night. After haggling like an Apprentice candidate on a buying-and-selling task, we managed to nab ourselves a ticket and took our notepad along for company. Here, making full use of some classic Britney lyrics, are our notes on her performance.

 

She's running this like-like-like a circus.

Whatever the show throws at us - be it magic tricks, giant flying picture frames or simulated onstage welding (yes, really!) - Britney's always portrayed as the ringleader. She tells her dancers to drop and give her ten during 'Boys', bashes them on the bonce with a pink mallet at the end of 'If U Seek Amy', and spends a lot of time marching them from one side of the stage to the other.

 

That's my prerogative.

Does Britney sing live? Well, it's impossible to say for certain without blackmailing one of The O2's sound technicians, but let's just say we doubt that she's reaching for the Strepsils this morning.

 

Baby, don't you wanna dance upon me?

Britney executes her moves confidently and competently tonight, but the trickiest routines are left to her troupe of backing dancers.

 

She's so lucky, she's a star.

The crowd's palpable affection for Britney is really quite touching. She even gets a cheer for hopping on the back of a tricycle and allowing herself to be pedalled across the stage - respect.

 

Let me break the ice.

Britney doesn't address the audience until the ninth song of the evening, but when she does, informing us she's going to "slow things down" for 'Everytime', the roar from the crowd is ferocious. Thereafter her interaction with her fans comprises one "What's up London?", one "Thank you London" and... well... that's it.

 

They want a piece of her.

Britney performs 'Piece Of Me' inside a gilded cage-on-wheels. Spot the metaphor!

 

Hit me baby one more time.

Yes, she actually performs it! Other vintage Britters hits slotted between tracks from Blackout and Circus are 'Toxic', 'Do Somethin', 'Everytime', 'Boys', a raved-up 'I'm A Slave 4 U' and a Bollywood remix of 'Me Against The Music'. Sadly, there's no space for 'Stronger' though.

 

 

All of the boys and all of the girls want to...

Though she's as innocent as a curtain-twitcher these days, it still feels naughty to watch Britney being mounted by a dancer in bondage togs during 'Touch Of My Hand'.

 

I see you looking at me like I'm some kind of freak.

Don't believe the gossip rags! If we had to sum up Britney's appearance in three words, we'd choose "fit", "curvy" and "rumpalicious".

 

Gimme more!

Sadly, in spite of some white-hot choreography and spectacular stage sets, tonight isn't a top notch pop concert. It's hard to believe that Britney's fully engaged when she clearly isn't singing live and her interaction with the crowd is so infrequent. More often that not, the motions are being well and truly gone through. For that reason, and even though there are flashes of Britney gold here and there, it's a [Three Stars Out Of Five] kind of night.