One of the many highlights of my trip to London was the much-anticipated Britney Spears concert. This was a bad night for the Jubilee underground line to be closed. Luckily the organisers had sent out an email to all ticket holders alerting them to this fact, and I was able to discover that replacement buses left from West Ham. So in order to give myself enough time, I got there at 6pm. The entertainment starting at 7:30pm, and Britney was due on stage at 8:45pm. I still had to wait for four buses to go past until there was enough room for me to hop on.

I arrived at the O2, and I was surprised to see not a single scalper or unauthorised merchandise seller. My ticket warning to only purchase authorised merchandise within the venue had got my hopes up the surrounding streets would be filled with all sorts of tacky Brit Brit relics. I was hoping to get my hands on a snow-globe or pink wig or some such, but the setting was tightly controlled. As I came closer to the venue, I saw that the surrounds were filled with circus games and rides. Stilt-walkers, jugglers and entertainers walked through the grounds, adding to the atmosphere.

About half the people there seemed to be dressed up to some degree. There were matching “I love Brit” t-shirts, and hundreds of people in various music-video outfits. The most popular was the schoolgirl outfit from “One More Time”, but there were also plenty of homages to “Womanizer”, “Toxic”, “Circus”, “If U Seek Amy”, and so on.

Within the venue, the merchandise stall took up an entire wall. The choices ranged from a 2 Pound window cling to a 75 Pound embroidered jacket. The line was ten people deep, as it really seemed that every person who attended also bought a little bit of Brit to take home. I did the same and bought a red circus t-shirt. The sizes were very small, though. I bought one in the large size, and the girls next to me were very upset that there were no women’s styles that were big enough for them.

I made my way into the stadium (no re-entry) and found my seat. I was very impressed with the position. I was right in front of the main stage, block 102 row S, 19 seats from the front. The people right down the front were very lucky. Their tickets included a preshow party, backstage tour, a show bag, and standing room right next to the stage. The ticket prices ranged from plush loveseats right next to the center stage for 700 Pounds per couple to the nosebleed Level 4 seats (not recommended for those who have a fear of heights) for 50 Pounds each. This is a view from the seats much higher than mine:

Photo by ILikeRamen

The show began with Ciara performing some of her R&B hits. I wasn’t terribly impressed. She was not permitted to take advantage of any of the benefits of the stage. She wore black, as did her four dancers, and remained on the center stage. But she did at least sing live, even though she seemed more like an aerobics instructor than an entertainer. She begged us to buy her new album and follow her on twitter.

The NY Big Apple Circus was next on the stage. They were really amazing acrobats and aerialists. There was a man spinning a giant hollow cube, another moving around the stage inside a large silver ring, and martial artists with an impressive display of strength, agility, and dexterity. For me, the most impressive feat was a gymnast who performed extraordinary jumps and flips while bouncing up and down on a tiny beam on the shoulders of two men. The whole audience gasped whenever she was about to land, but she stuck every landing.

The arena went dark, and a thrill of adrenaline rushed through the audience. Britney was about to arrive. She was introduced to us by a video of the exuberant blogger Perez Hilton, dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I with the American and British flags in his hair

“Enter one, enter all… the circus of the bizarre… … I’m here tonight to give you a treat… a woman, yes, I’ve maligned in the past… I was a bit of a beast, I admit, I’m bad… that’s why I’m feeling so fierce to give you the return of the fine Lady Spears… the queen of the circus… the mistress of ceremonies… the ringleader in charge…what a show… ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to the greatest show on earth… Just follow me, the Lady Spears will give you a treat… we’ve got it all… welcome to the circus”

Then the 23,000-strong audience went wild as she descended from above, dressed in a black top hat and a red ringleaders jacket to “Circus” (I’m a put-on-a-show kind of girl/ Don’t like the backseat, got to be first). While she spoke very little, only saying “What’s up London? I am so happy to be here tonight”, I was very impressed with her dancing and the overall choreography. Her moves were very sharp, and she really used all three stages very well, ensuring that she paid equal attention all four sides of the arena.

She removed her jacket and climbed into a gilded cage to sing “Piece of Me” (Guess I can’t see the harm in working and being a mama… I’m Mrs she’s too big now she’s too thin). It was very obvious that most of her songs were pre-recorded. Not a single breath could be heard, even when she was dancing up a storm, and she unconsciously touched her microphone whenever she used it to speak to the crowd. Though, I don’t think that anyone could belt out those tunes while moving like she did, so I don’t hold it against her. Her agent simply states “Britney’s microphone is always on”.

Photo by guilherme zamarioli

The circus theme continued throughout the show. One of my favourite parts was “Hot as Ice” when the magician appeared on stage with an empty, elevated box. He covered it with a cloth, then whipped it off, and voila, there was Britney curled up inside, swathed in sparkles and playfully grinning at our astonishment. He then took her to the other side of the stage where he proceeded to cut her into thirds, before reassembling her and then finally making her disappear.

When she strutted out onto the stage in an Arabian-themed outfit for “Me Against the Music”, I hoped that Madonna might return the favour and offer us a cameo, especially in London. However, it was not to be. The only song that she sang live was the ballad “Everytime”, her voice warmed by some sort of transformer. She said “I hope you don’t mind if I slow it down and sing a little ballad”, and then sat underneath an umbrella while she was elevated above the stage. It was a beautiful and gentle moment as she sang softly, clasping the microphone between her hands.

It was a shame that she wore sunglasses for some of her outfits. I think that it distanced her from the audience, and made it more difficult for her to make a connection. The whole audience roared their approval when she removed her blindfold during “Touch of My Hand”. I was also very surprised that during the show the cylindrical LCD screen that circled the main stage was not used to show live close-ups of Britney, but instead pre-recorded video or computer graphics. While I was close enough to be able to make out Britney’s smile when she faced my way, people further away would only be able to identify the star by the spotlights that followed her.

She seemed to be having a lot of fun. A lot of people have worried that she is performing too soon after her breakdown last year. However, from the looks of it, she is really enjoying herself, and I hope that this helps her heal. I think that she wants to put the drama of last year behind her, and become a successful artist again. Selling over one million tickets to her tour is going to go a long way towards reaching that goal. She especially seemed to enjoy performing “Boys”, with a military theme, ordering her dancers to do push-ups, and grinning at them as they circled around her.

Physically, Britney seemed to be in top condition. She looks healthy, strong and energetic, and I think that she is a much better role model at her current weight than back in her early days. She performed 17 song segments in 105 minute set with verve, alacrity, and effulgence, and really seemed to shine in the spotlight.

At the end of “Slave 4 U”, Britney was lifted from the stage under a huge ring of blazing fire. While I suppose all the spectacle is required for someone of her calibre, I don’t think that she really needed all those dancers or props. In the end, we were all there to just see her perform.

Her true final song was an extended remix of” Womanizer”, which she performed dressed as a policewoman. The performance then ended in confetti and fireworks, and amusingly all 23000 people running for the exits as we all attempted to beat the rush to the limited number of buses that were waiting to take us home. Britney has succeeded in a remarkable comeback, and I hope that she finds enjoyment and happiness from her continued success.

Photo from Perry St

Yesterday my ticket to see Britney Spears perform at the O2 Arena in London arrived. I bought it way back in December, nervously refreshing my email to get my presale passcode so I could get the best seat. Since then, over one million tickets have been sold, and all eight of the the London dates have been completely sold out. The ticket then had to be posted from England to my mum’s house (credit card billing address) in Australia and then she had to post it to Belgium, all before June 6. It arrived yesterday, so I will indeed be attending The Circus: starring Britney Spears next week.

I feel like I have grown up with her and shared in her many lows and highs. So many people are dismissive of her work, but she is able to make so many people happy and bring a smile to so many faces. I am so proud of her for working so hard, and so glad that I can share in her success. She is younger than I am, yet she has gone through so much more, living under a microscope since she joined the Mickey Mouse club when she was twelve. She has never had the luxury of making her mistakes in private. Yet she has this inner strength that helped her face her fears and doubts to rebuild her life.

The circus tour will be staged in three rings, and will include magicians, acrobatics, aerialists, martial artists, clowns, pyrotechnics and dancers. It will feature the songs Circus, Piece of Me, Radar, Gimme More, Ooh Ooh Baby, Hot as Ice, Boys, If U Seek Amy, Me Against the Music, Freakshow, Get Naked, Breathe on Me, Touch of My Hand, Do Something, Slave, Toxic, Baby One More Time, and Womanizer. The show will take just over one and a half hours, and she will be supported by Ciara.

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. ~ PerezHilton