Britney's Back!
Filed under: Personally Perez > Britney Spears
This is a bullshit-free review!
Britney Spears descended from the sky at the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday night to rightfully reclaim her role as the Princess of Pop. And Perez was lucky enough to be there!
One of the reasons we decided to go to New Orleans was because we weren't sure if Britney would make it without quitting through to the middle of April, when her Circus tour is scheduled to hit Los Angeles. Heck, we weren't even sure she could pull off opening night.
And she did! Quite well. Much better than we had expected!
Here's how it all went down: The Pussycat Dolls went on at 8:00 P.M. sharp and put on an energetic 40-minute set of hits. Robin Antin, the group's founder, told us that they had just one day and only two hours on stage to reconfigure their arena show to be in-the-round, as is the case with Britney's 3-stage circus.
Backstage we ran into K-Fat and Spears' newly rehired assistant, Felicia Culotta. There was no sense of chaos or panic behind the scenes before Britney went on, which surprised us.
There was a pre-show featuring clowns, martial arts and acrobatics, and Britney went on at approximately 9:20 P.M, playing for about an hour and forty minutes.
A video featuring none other than yours truly, Perez, opened the show, and - we are pleased to say - it was very warmly received!
Spears descended from the roof on an apparatus and kicked things off with the appropriately-themed Circus. And she looked great! The outfits were fab and her body was bangin! Her leg muscles are ridic!
Now, let's get our biggest gripe/problem with the show out of the way. Yes, she lipsynchs during the entire concert. There is no live singing. None!. She recorded vocals to "sound like" live, but they were all canned, pre-taped.
However, it's a Britney Spears show. You expect that!
Even though you expect it, though, it would be nice if at least a handful of the almost 20 song set were live. But, that's not gonna happen.
In exchange for the miming, you do get Spears doing what she does best, dancing. And she's got the moves again!
We were a bit underwhelmed by her live TV appearances performing Womanizer. She seemed drugged and lethargic. She'd walk around from point A to point B, just walking - without much (if any) confidence.
Well, we are pleased to say that Britney has her confidence back! And she seemed to be having a great time throughout the whole show. You could tell by the huge grin that appeared on her face throughout the evening.
She didn't say much. In fact, she didn't speak at all to the audience until after the very last song! We do wish she would have said something earlier, but she didn't have to. She spoke through her body and that infectious smile.
When you see Britney smile, you can't help but smile back!
Her only words the whole night were, "Thank you New Orleans, I love u guys. Did y'all have a good time? Thank you so much," which she said after the final encore, Womanizer.
The show is a non-stop, exhilarating assault on the eyes, a visual extravaganza. And there is a LOT that Britney does. To her credit, she pulled it off! She did it!
She danced like she hasn't danced in a very long time. And, one of the best parts of the evening was that Spears seemed to be clear-headed. She did not appear heavily-sedated or lethargic at all. She was on point!
It being the very first show of the tour, you could tell she was wasn't 100% tight with the choreography yet, but she was more than just going through the motions. She was feeling it and into it!
We had never seen a show in-the-round before and it was a thrilling experience. There is no bad seat in the house! And director Jamie King did an exquisite job of filling the space and being inventive.
The show was fun and fresh and dazzling! There were definitely many more "moving pieces" than in Madonna's recent Sticky & Sweet tour, which King also directed.
There were a few missteps on the production-front, a misguided heavy metal segment and some empty space with two background vocalists that could be filled or tightened after Spears sings lipsynchs the ballad Everytime.
But, those moments were definitely very few and far between. If you are a Britney fan - or someone who appreciates a big spectacle - then you will love the show. Jamie did an amazing job of giving the concert a true Circus-like feel, incorporating magic, aerialists, clowns, tons of dancers and lots of razzle dazzle.
The most jaw-dropping moment of the show was when Spears performed Breath On Me accompanied by two aerialists, who turned their bodies into a bed and sent Britney flying into the sky with them! But, not just that, she totally was fearless in the air and did some amazing moves herself in the air!
Other highlights include the super-playful If You Seek Amy - with boys and hammers - and an amped up version of …Baby One More Time, which still kills.
From flying sets, smoke, wind, pyro, this concert has it all. But it's biggest asset is definitely Spears herself.
There is something about Britney that makes her truly special. She has that indescribable "it" factor. People are always rooting for her, even when she was at her lowest lows. We genuinely want to see her succeed! We've seen her grow up in front of our eyes, and we love her - shortcomings and all. She may not be perfect, but that's okay. She's our Britney.
And she's back, bitches!
We can't wait to see the show again in Atlanta and Miami and see it get better and better.
Perez, your faithful and honest critic, over and out!
P.S. We do feel confident now that Britney is going to finish out the tour, so we are uber excited we'll see it in Los Angeles too.
Enjoy the Circus!
[Images via WENN.]
seriously? bullshit free? doubt it!
Re: you_appearing – Tell It how it is!!!!
You need to add some objectivity to that crack you are smoking! How can you say "she is back" when she lip-syncs the whole show! Doesn't that smack of illegitimacy? Sure she can dance; she has talent and clearly has worked hard to get back in shape but to bill herself as a singer an then to not sing? Rip off! You must have gotten your tickets for free so you've write a rave review but who would pay for this?
THE DANCING SUCKED ON BRITS END BUT HER DANCERS ROCKED!
Perez, how dare you to make a "serious" and "objective" critic when you were actually IN the show? What the fuck is wrong with you?
And to the people who's praising her so much, oh Gosh… You realize Britney is NOT a real musician? She doesn't sing, doesn't write her lyrics, doesn't play any instrument, doesn't compose anything. She can be a good dancer and all of that… but no fucking way she should be considered an artist, because she is not. I mean, Britney is the living proof of how shiteous the music industry is right now. Sure she makes lavish, flamboyant shows, but if she wanna do such things, she should go to Las vegas and stick to those shows. Period.
She is a joke and an embarrasement to all the people who spend years in music conservatories working hard on their voices, or on their instruments, or trying to learn how to make quality music.
And i feel pity for all the stupid people that believes she is an great artist even if she is not capable of doing something as basic for a musician as singing. They have no idea of the meaning of music. The music market offers shit to listen and this people enjoy even if it's meaningless. Pityful
Re: shanghai84 – No Kidding they are completely obscene and diviant. Just what our girls need, more advertising to pervs!
AND I DIDN'T PAY, GOT TICKETS FOR FREE, P.S. PEREZ WHERE ARE BRITNEY BOOBS. THOSE COSTUMES ARE TO FLATTERING ON HER CHEST.
Her getting sick was one of the best celebrity stunts ever. She is great at dancing and the sound engineers make her voice sound OK. You guys should put your money in to a chairety that needs it and not in to Britney Spears.
I have a piece of property I want to sell.
Britney, please have my baby.
Re: _maty_ – YOU FUCKING ROCK!!!!
GO Britney!!!!
LOL @ Britney haters who continually bring up the fact that she doesn't sing live and attempt to throw that in her fans' faces. Guess what… her fans don't care! Britney has never made claims of being some genius artist with an amazing vocal capacity. She's always been known as the best performer of her time (likely of all time). PERFORMER.
Furthermore, I think there's a huge misunderstanding in terms of singing live and lip-syncing. She's done it most of her career (she sung a lot of her Oops I Did it Again Tour songs live, but the DWAD Tour began the all lipsyncing), but something else she's always done is sing ON TOP of playback. It's just that the playback is so loud that it makes it useless for her to sing on top of it.
Get over it people. Stop looking for the same shit to bash her on.
you couldnt pay me to go see this joke of an artist. you can see a dance show for free at your local highschool. its a circus alright, and brits the head CLOWN !
Sounds Amazing!
I wish I could see this live even more now!
Good Luck to her!
talk about a detailed review! and i think she's gonna be happy with it!
She was lack luster at very very best. she's not into it anymore. forced dancing and she didn't even sing…all lip sync. you guys are all a bunch of sheep
she is ridiculous.so madonna.madonna is way better and hotter than her,shitney did playback,.at least madonna sings live.madnna is unique.she has her own style and atitude ,shitney is fat as
nd terrible performer.she can barely sell her own tickets.ridiculous
Lipsynching doesn't surprise me, she did on her last tour as well and nobody believed me! It was every single song! Not one note live.
LIP SYN IS B.S.
perez u suck.shitney doesnt care about u and u dont care about her too.so this sounds false to me ,my god.she is fake and now u???? at least madonna is honest.and her concerts are lot better.she has an unique energy.her concerts are insane and histericals.people are mad about her.she is a goddess.its amazing see a 50 years old women and still top the list.sorry shitney but madonna never had a breakdown
fucking A!M!A!Z!I!N!G! I cannot believe how great this show was, I cannot wait to see her live. Who gives a flying fuck if she didn't sing live? I DON'T! Fantastic! All the haters can FUCK OFF. Let's see them sale out a world fucking tour, bitches!
she may be back but she wont last long.she is not strong
she sucks
Re: Joponop – u would see madonna concert.is absolutely maddness.at least she speacks to the crowd
I can't freking WAIT. Seeing her in CT.
she is doing playback all the time.she still do it worst
'Honest Critic'? fuck off Perez, you are being biased as hell, you are only raving about her gig so much because you're in the opening video. Paid to praise Britney more like. People.com have a VERY different review of this concert, a REAL honest one. And it's rather funny how this review doesn't sound at all like it's written by yourself, paid someone?
Dayum! Everything's pre-recorded?! They won't even let her adlib in between songs?! That's some sad shit. But if she's happy & her fans are happy, then that's all that matters…I guess(?)
Re: Jolly411 – brit show sucked.
UH. has she really lipsynch i saw videos from and i was thinking shes was singing live at some parts..
theres a lot of bad critics out there.thats why she doesnt sell out
Re: Sugababe01 – she sucks.bad
Love her!
Just got home from New Orleans and have to say the show was amazing! Great review Perez! We were a little disappointed that you didn't make an appearance! Where were you?!?!?!? BRITNEY'S BACK BITCHES!!!
Re: LOVE M – Ehh okay, we get it, you don't like her.. shut up now..
the nipple tassles and s&m themes look so grose! yuck! the nipple covers just dont do her body any good..and the large pink glittery hammer and her running around on stage..bizzare!she needs to sing some live songs in my opinion! you want to see the artist perform not just mime everything….
I am so proud of u Brit. I wanted to cry when I was reading that article. even tho I can't make it to this concert, I hope the DVD will be released so I can buy it and watch it =P
If you go to TMZ.com you can see video from the show. All I have to say is…..no!
she is beautiful and untouchable. HER BODY IS ABSOLUTLY INCREDIBLE
Congrats, Britney! Welcome back!
Re: Kate27 – are you slow or something? It clearly states that Perez's critic wrote the review…not perez himself. why didn't you read the whole article before commenting. you just made a fool of yourself.
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On another note…hmmm those costumes are kinda if-y
HI #58,
I HAD A COMMENT WRITTEN BEFORE YOUS ALONG ON THE SAME SENTIMENT THAT THIS ASSHOLE WAS BASHING BRITNEY NOT TOO LONG AGO AND NOW HE IS A FAITHFUL AND LOYAL CRITIC AS HE SAYS. hAHAHA!
WHAT PLASTICITY?
AND BEING SO HARSH WITH CHRIS BROWN BEING HE IS A WOMAN BASHER BUT HE IS NOT AWARE OF THE FACT THAT HE IS A VERBAL ABUSER. IF I WERE VANESSA HUDGENS, I'D SUE THE THIS FUCKING TWAT.
OK…so just watched the TMZ vids and unfortunately from the footage I did see brit didn't really do any of her dance moves with exhilance nor conviction. Am sorry to have seen that
stop ruining it for me perez!
she looked like a zombie.again.sorry but she has no energy.another breakdown soon
LoVE BriTneY So MucH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D
SHES SO FABULOUS!
I loved loved loved. I can`t wait to see it in L.A. lOVE ME HATE ME ALL THE BOYS AND ALL THE GIRLS…………………..I missed out from onder and blur!
I WOULD'VE LOVED TO BE THERE!!!..
:(:(
:):)
I LOVE BRITNEY
YAAAY!!!…
IM GONNA BE THERE TO SEE THIS ON APRIL 20th!!!!
I was there last night and it was FANTASTIC!!!!! I wish i could go again but i doubt i can find tickets anywhere near here. It was even better than Perez's review says it is…shes the best!!!
People are so ridicules. You can't put on a show like the ones Britney,Madonna,Beyonce Janet Jackson puts on with all the dancing and jumping around without having to lipsyncing. People either should get over it or shut the fuck up..either way..Britney fans could give a rats ass what you think of her..she is still bringing in the Big money and your not..P.S. Perez you got to be the biggest Hypocrite on the net.
those costumes are hideous
aww yay I'm so happy for her!
im gonna see her in 3 weeks this show better be good
yes - this concert was AMAZING!! just saw it 2 nights in a row….dress rehearsal and the actual concert. both nights she did awesome!! She was really into the dancing and performed with confidence - it made me so happy to see her do so good!!!
She looks.. disgusting.
She looks amazing~
Re: gigidi – Seriously, that's fat to you…well then you are one self-absorbed asshole! Congrats! You're probably stick thin and BUTT UGLY!! Although I am sure YOU THINK you look hott, you BUSTED! Skank.
Re: Punky B! –
oh, yeah. i probably am. probably probably probably probably. moron. take your silly rant back to the trailer park with you. britney needs to get her ass into the pilates studio… why don't you join her?
LOVE Britney.. but too bad Christina had a circus themed tour for Back to Basics not too long ago… and why is Pink doing the whole circus theme too?
She didn't sing??? That means all it was was a glorified strip show. I enjoy listening to her music because she has the best producers in the world writing her music and the best mixers making her sound decent. I would be pissed if I spent $100 to watch her gyrate and pretend to sing.
Madonna sings and dances. No matter how hard Brittney tries to mimic Madonna, she will never have the talent that it takes to be a true pop star.
It's good to hear she's back. And thanks Perez for giving a critical opinion of the show and not over-gushing, but is sounds like it's a good show.
my friends were at the show and sent me the below.
The opening of her show was cool, real big and powerful like a vegas show but then it just kinda of moves from place to place and she lip syncs so bad that it almost feels like she is a puppet or robot. i think it felt long to but the crowd was into it and it is fun to see. PCD was pretty sick, non stop hits and DAMN Nicole sings her ass off, WOW, she is talented and she is SO HOT! the other girls did a good job dancing, the one of them with pigtails (dont know her name) kept lookin at us with the fakest smile ever, kim with the short hair dances her ass off. we had fun for sure
I wish I could see her when she comes to DC
OMG! YAY! I'm so happy for Britney! I"m glad she did an Amazing job! =] The tour sounds really incredible, fun, and cool! I wish I could see it. I really want to see it. But I'm so happy for Britney. I'm glad to here something good about her this time. =] I'm glad she's doing better! Britney Rocks! =]
go britney
she looks so fat.
BRITNEYS CONCERY WAS A MAZINGGG!
PEREZ YOUR INTRO WAS SOOOO COOL, I WISH I WOULD HAVE SEEN YOUUU! I DIDINT KNOW YOU WERE IN NEW ORLEANS!
I LOVED WHEN BRITNEY DID HIT ME BABY AND THE WHOLE ARENA WAS SINGING ALONG,I WAS HAVING FLASHBACKS OF MY CHILDHOOD HAHHAHA
AND HER ARABIC MIX OF IN THE ZONE WAS REALLY REALLY COOL.
I WISH I COULD GO BACK!
IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO GO TO THIS CONCERT, GO!!!!!!
IT WAS A REALLY AMAZING PERFORMANCE AND I HAD SO MUCH FUN!
I HAVE NO VOICE TODAY FROM SINGING ALONG TO EVERY SONG BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!
:] BEST CONCERT EVEEEER!EVERYONE HERE IN NEW ORLEANS LOVED IT AND CANT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!
I want to go see it..:( Congrats Britney for a great comeback!!
WH0 CARES IF SHE LIPSYNCHS, BRITNEY ALWAYS HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE FUCKEN AMAZINGG!
what a copycat…..
BESIDES, BRITNEY ISN'T A SINGER… SHE'S A PERFORMER U DUMB BITCHES! EVEN THOUGH SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE BEST VOCALS SHE GIVES A HELL OF A PERFORMANCE & THAT'S PART OF HER APPEAL! DUHHHHH. HAHA
Love her legs!!!!!!!
Re: Chelsea –
Shaking her ass and gyrating, is basically what any stripper can do.
You stupid bimbo.
Britney kicks all your asses! Sucks to be you guys who are jealous of her!!
You are the most ridiculous person alive, your review is almost bragging about your dumb intro and how you get to see the concert what 4, 5 times? Its pathetic…nobody wants to hear how amazing your life is because you write some dumb blog on the internet. Lets be honest here, how many people would die to attend this concert but can't because she's not making a stop in their hometown, and you go 5 times? Maybe, for once, you could use your fame for something good and i dunno, this is a stab in the dark but, send some fan to see her concert rather than you going 5 times. You don't need to go 5 times that's pathetic. Let someone else have the experience of a lifetime, stop being so selfish and use your fame to make someone else's dream come true, rather than just your own personal dreams
i was there! i'm happy she's back. i just wish she talked more to the crowd. its her hometown, c'mon. it didn't feel personable! but it was a great production!
im going to the chicago one, im so excited
BEST SHOW ON EARTH! Britney definitely brought it hard core, she danced like crazy and was enjoying herself very very much. She had that infectious smile on all the time and was putting on a fantastic show. Great Job Britney!
To all the people complaining about lip syncing - KISS MY PHAT ASS. Back off Britney haters, us fans are used to her lipping - she did it since the beginning. Y'all are just finding an excuse to bring her down and tear her apart, why? Because some of u jerks actually enjoy watching Britney fail, it makes u feel better about yourselves. How pathetic.
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Besides, Britney is a world renowned ENTERTAINER, no one can put on a show like her. If you want people singing live and standing there for the whole show, go to Mariah's or Whitney's lame ass shows. You wont be seeing any dancing, big lights, riding bikes, umbrellas floating in the air, and more.
Re: Hey_Ro-zay –
Can you and all the other complainers shut the flying fuck up and just enjoy the show? All you fuckers are acting like you're on your period, that Britney owes us something and we deserve something back. She is an ENTERTAINER, who gives a shit if she lips, have you been living under a rock?
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Almost all thru her career she has lipped and no one cares, no people are bitching because they want to grab onto something to tear her down. Leave the girl alone, shes been thru hell and back - why can't you give credit to Britney for being able to crawl her way back up to the top and pull off this tour. Its not an easy task, lets see YOU GO THRU SHIT - being scrutinzed, drugged, losing custody - and then come back the way Britney did.
I HEAR SHE HAS CHAPPED NIPPLES AND BAD VAGINA BREATH. BUT SHE'S THE PATRON SKANK OF WHORE MOTHERS.
SHE'S STILL FAT - THOSE THIGHS?????????????
SHE SOUNDS LIKE A GOAT BEING SODOMIZED WHEN SHE SINGS
Great to see her back at the top!
How are the sales Perez? Was it sold out? If not, it's a bust.
"Now, let's get our biggest gripe/problem with the show out of the way. Yes, she lipsynchs during the entire concert. There is no live singing. None!. She recorded vocals to "sound like" live, but they were all canned, pre-taped."
What the FUCK?! and the bitch expects us to pay for prerecorded shit? At least Madonna does her shit live.
I think its awsome that he gave her a real review. Not a suck ass review that wasn't honest. He said what was wrong or needed improvement and what really was good/great. I think that she will eventually sing her stuff live again. I think that it is all just a matter of time before she is completely back in full swing. She has come a very long way already and I think that it is really really cool that k-Fat is able to follow with the kids so that she can stay connected to her boys while she is out on tour. This way she isn't just dumping her time out on the road as their mom. I think that the more time goes on and the more she is able to find a new regimen with the kids and her career the more she will improve in more ways than one. I think that she finally has the support that she needs from everyone in the family and it is all slowly coming together in a really healthy way.
I think that that was a huge part of what went wrong for her right after she had her boys…….she just didn't know how to peice it alltogether in a way that worked for everyone and I think that she is such an over acheiver that she seriously lost it at the prospect of not being able to make it all happen in a way that worked for everyone. I really do think that she was really depressed because she didn't think that it was possible to still have a career and be a mom at the same time. Not only was she trying to recover from her failed marriage but she was tying to juggle all of that on top of it all. But all of it IS POSSIBLE BRITNEY. As long as she is trying people around her will continue to support her. I think when she gave up it kind of made people around her give up as well. It just took her making a sincere effort for the people around her to concede to making it happen as well. I think that she has found a foundation that she can build on from this point on. I really do think that she will only improve from here on. So haters beware, she is only going to get better, HA HA!!
Well that's the problem with being a video star compared to being a recording artist (yes, there's a difference)–if you're just really known for dancing in your videos, and you just have an average voice, people are going to expect you to dance on stage, and not many singers can pull off dancing and singing at the same time without having some kind of pre-recorded music behind them as a safety net. If she just stood there and actually sang her songs, then people would have complained she was boring and didn't dance. Personally I'd rather pay to hear someone sing live without all the flash and special effects, someone who chats with the audience in between songs and tells the story behind the next song they're about to sing. I saw Stevie Nicks on tour several years ago, and all she did was stand in front of a mic and sing, and maybe once in a while twirl, and she was more entertaining than most of these sell-out artists who put on these overly staaged shows.
i payed too much money to go hear her lip sync……fail
Re: ickylicky501 –
*BOW* *BOW* I think I love you
If i'm going to pay big bucks to see a concert i'd expect it sung live NOT WORTH IT. Shame on you Brittany! What a fucking rip off
No offence but she still kinda has a tummy… and no one song is live? Er… I LOVE her, but .. :\
i am so excited i am seein her march 27 at pittsburgh
she rocks and is my idol
luv ya brit
Re: britney_rox – I love you. You are my god. Britney haters can suck it. HAHAHAHAHAH. Britney is baaaack!
hmmmmmmm she needs to still lose some weight maybe 10 pounds more if she wants to look the way she was before she married kfed.
Lose 10 to 20 more pounds Brit and you will be perfect and the sexiest again