Britney Spears In Dublin : Review

Well I won't go into the nitty gritty but basically I went from having no Britney tickets to getting them for both nights. Ended up near the pit on the Friday show and had a seated view on Saturday (for which I had free tickets, the kind of fluke oppurtunity that I love). I thoroughly enjoyed the show despite my reservations. Alot of people were saying she wasn't ready to be back on stage, that she acted like she didn't want to be there etc.

But personally I thought she looked really happy to be there. Having seen Britney the last time she was in Dublin, she seemed to be enjoying it alot more this time around. Her dancing HAS slowed down. but only from ridiculously fast paced to energetic and full of life. I'd forgotten how charismatic Britney is. She isn't singing live, she isn't really talking to the crowd but her face just lights up and she has that popstar swagger few really have.

Also that setlist was fan-tastic. Loading up on the juiciest cuts from Blackout (and dropping in the super slinky should have been a single Breathe On Me) and pacing the big hits out in just the right places, it was a non stop thrill ride. Some people complained about the fact that there were so many interludes but I thought they really worked. The Sweet Dreams video interlude is one of the best videos she has ever done, effortlessly sexy and beautiful to look at. And that was another aspect of the show I really enjoyed. It was the perfect mix of exuberant, flashy and sexy. It wasn't over the top sexy like the last one or weighed down with a cheesy concept. The entire production was so well executed.

Yes, I would have loved Britney to engage more. And yes, it would be great if she sung live. But it says alot that despite these (quite large) flaws, I still found myself entertained. I still found Britney enthralling. She IS a huge popstar. There are complications and she clearly has her guard up, but The Circus still thoroughly entertained me.

AND to my delight, I got my own minute of Britney weave malfunction on Friday night when a piece of her fake hair fell out as she was mid air (during a thoroughly wierd but thoroughly brilliant simulated sex suspended in the air stunt). Really, how could I have not been entertained by this show! (the photo below is from Saturday and not of the amazing weave moment but gives you an idea of the stunt I was talking about!)

In the interest of balance (ahem) here are Panti and Rick O'Shea's views on the show, which I'm posting more to promote my love of their blogs than anything but also that I am not blind to some people not loving Brintey. I'm not some crazy maladjusted fan. honest :/

http://www.culch.ie/2009/06/22/review-britney-spears-at-the-02/

http://pantibar.com/blog.aspx?contentid=2656

Photos stolen from BritneySpears.com (not that you'd have guessed by the GIANT TAGS.)