At her concert in Greensboro, NC, on Saturday night, Britney debuted a new song on her second leg of her Circus tour set list. She did a cover of Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know and she actually sang live!
I realize with all the dancing and theatrics she lip-syncs her songs, but I do enjoy her vocals. A lucky treat for the concert goers there.
Britney Spears' first tour of Europe in five years begins in London June 3 and ends in Helsinki July 16.
"The Circus starring Britney Spears" tour began March 3 in New Orleans with 39 concerts in the US and Canada until May 5, to be followed by eight in London between June 3 and 14 and one in Manchester on June 17.
Next, stops will take the 27-year-old pop star to Dublin on June 19 and 20, Paris on July 5 and 6, Antwerp on July 9, Copenhagen on July 11, Stockholm on July 13 and Helsinki on July 16, the French organisers Nous Productions said. Then it's off to Russia and a possible Down Under leg.
The Circus show features a cast of 50 dancers, magicians, clowns and acrobats and costs $50 million to produce. It also boasts 60 tons of equipment in 34 trucks and a traveling staff of over 200.
To date, the Circus 2009 tour is the highest grossing in North America.
OK, I know, I'm 47 years old, but I have to admit I love Britney Spears. What it is exactly I can not pinpoint. The music, the image, the dancing, the expert packaging, the possibility of a Stage 4 choo-choo train wreck always around the next corner? One can only listen to the voice - low, throaty and sexy, so many times, but I am always drawn to an underdog who perseveres.
As of late, I am happy her life seems to be getting back on track and her current tour, which at first seemed like a bit much to take on considering her past and very public melt-downs, divorce and subsequent court ordered custody loss of her kids to her ex Kevin Federline (no great role model there either, but at the time a more sane parent), has been going along smoothly.
I mean how does someone of her status go from this to this?
Is it the constant pressure to be "on" or is it drugs and too much partying? The rebelliousness of someone who has too many yes people around and wants to shock and break free?
This brings me to the fact that last Sunday my friend Erin and I made the trek to Anaheim and saw the Circus tour come to town. Back when I was working at an ad agency here in San Diego we always chatted it up in the mornings before the rest of the crew arrived. We said that if she ever got her stuff together enough to go back out and tour, we would go, as each of us had never seen her live.
Well as I have seen in countless videos and MTV show openers and closers, Britney delivered the goods and is one extremely talented entertainer. The show started off with the Pussycat Dolls, whom did nothing more than bounce around in scantily clad sequined undies and work their individual stripper poles, while lead singer Nicole Scherzinger kept to distancing herself from the rest of the girls and making sure everyone knew she was the star. Their last two singles have been released as "The Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger." Now that's enough to cause some tension for sure.
Back to Britney, whose team created an atmosphere of a 3 ring circus at the concert: she brought the action to the ring in the middle of the Pond, and the audience’s seats surrounded it. It was the idea of a traditional 'big-top circus' with a Britney Spears twist. This circus was unlike anything Ive ever seen before. It was sexy, fun, explosive, and full of surprises… mainly all the pre-show and in between costume change acts. While avoiding the traditional circus elements as live animals, they created something innovative and exciting using contortionists, acrobats, magicians, dancers, lighting, fire, and other special effects. It was sensory overload and I had a blast.
I recently heard of the possibility of her taking the show Down Under, but today read of an extension to Russia. She will be going to St.Petersburg for her first concert in Russia. PMI, the organizers of the concert, say the venue is still being discussed. However, according to the official booking operator, the concert will take place at the ice hockey arena. The date is July 19, and tickets are already available for preliminary booking.
The performance in St.Petersburg will be part of Britney’s global tour “The Circus Starring: Britney Spears” launched in support of her latest sixth studio album, “Circus.”
