Perez Hilton, God of gossip was, quite aptly, the man to kick off Britney Spears’ comeback tour. There was the car crash appearance on last year’s X Factor and the infamous MTV Video Music Awards affair, but it is Spears’ stint at London’s 02 Arena that both fans and hungry critics have been waiting for.


The Moulin Rouge inspired red curtain rolls up and the most googled woman in the world emerges. I won’t lie or attempt to coolly downplay this - I love Britney Spears. The people who know me closely have to come to accept it as an unfortunate quirk of my personality and behave accordingly.

When she went through her rough patch, I tutted at the wily media documentation of her demise and tried to convince my friends to start a ‘Save Britney’ campaign. The hospital incarcerations and paparazzi attacks didn’t deter me, I knew she’d come around. And last night round she came with a circus themed, showbiz extravaganza.

For all her misgivings Miss Spears has never been one to do anything by halves and her on stage entourage included a colourful band of dwarfs, illusionists, magicians, clowns, trapeze artists, fire breathers and men adorned with gimp masks. The show is brilliantly gaudy and focuses primarily on Spears’ more recent hits including Womanizer, Freakshow and Radar. Long term fans were thrilled by a hearty rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time. She offered a Britafied version of Marilyn Manson’s Goth version of ‘Sweet Dreams’ played at deafening volume.


She looks good. No woman can put on a two hour dance based show without serious hours in the gym and Spears is no exception. She is pleasingly anti stick insect and a full on dancers figure with curvy thighs and taught stomach. Go Britney go.

Now to the costumes. Changes were plentiful and diverse but all characteristically about sex. Out came a sexy policewoman, a sexy ringmaster and a more surprising sexy Arabian Princess Jasmine.
But she mimed I hear you cry, what is the point in a live concert if the singer does not sing? I ask you who goes to a Britney concert for raw vocal talent? Fans came for a glitzy spectacle of the highest degree and here Spears certainly lived up to expectations. She spends much of her time gyrating mid air and at one point is cut in half by an onstage magician. I doubt even Katherine Jenkins could belt out a chord under such conditions.

Perhaps the only point Miss Spears could have improved on was her audience participation or lack of. However we must remember that it wasn’t long ago that Spears’ was mid public breakdown and her on stage silence may have been well advised. No her mighty come back tour did not go by traditional performing rules but Spears is not renown for going by the books. After all, she’s Britney bitch.