Britney Spears with New York Big Apple Circus

It was Rule Brit-annia as Britney Spears threw her anchor down and docked in Manchester for the close of the UK leg of her Circus tour. Thrilled fans scrambled aboard eager to catch a glimpse of the world-renowned Captain and perhaps not so much eat at her table, as dance with her on top of it.

Support came in the form of the amazing New York Big Apple Circus, whose acrobatic displays and stage presence was nothing short of breath-taking. An extended set from the Circus was most well received, as signs around the arena had informed the crowd that Ciara would not be performing; no reason was given which might well have been disappointing for some fans. It certainly did nothing to dampen the mood however, as an air of anticipation seemed to spread from the ringside seats, through the throng on the buzzing floor and right up in to the rafters of the make shift big top.



Opening her eighteen-strong set with 'Circus' whilst descending from the ceiling, the pied piper of dance commanded, "Don't stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do!" and the packed crowd did just that in a an appreciative display of crazed dancing and raucous cheering. Divided in to four acts including 'House of Fun (Anything Goes)' and 'Freakshow/Peepshow', Spears's set list included mainly tracks from her last two albums, 'Blackout' and 'Circus'. Looking happy, healthy and positively glowing, Spears looked to be having a great time as she combined popular trademark hits such as 'Boys', 'Me Against the Music' and 'I'm A Slave 4 U' with new, addictive and sexy beats like 'Hot as Ice', 'Radar' and fans' favourite, cheeky chant 'If U Seek Amy'.

Launching in to 'Piece Of Me', Spears was spun around the trio of stages in a golden cage by some bound and burly boys, to the obvious delight of the crowd who sang along with the tongue-in-cheek paparazzi puncher. Watching Spears perform with spirit and sass and hearing the crowd's rapturous applause, it is hard to imagine that only eighteen months ago the picture looked so different. As a wise Pink Lady once said in a 1970's sing-a-long special, "the only man a girl can really rely on is her Daddy" (a truth clearly demonstrated in subsequent 'serenading a face in a paddling pool' scene).



Ever the chameleon, Spears played a number of roles throughout the show: Bollywood Princess (my personal favourite), Sexy Policewoman and Burlesque Beauty to name but a few, which allowed for some dazzling costume changes. Note to self – must put up said pictures on January 1st, 2010 after the obligatory turkey excess. It must be, as my friend and I pondered, somewhat of a pinnacle of a dancer's career to appear in a production such as this. The energy and talent of the troupe was exceptional, especially during the popular dance-off segment which was greeted by many 'woops' and 'wows'.

I feel I must address the, in my opinion, over-egged and totally predictable 'miming' issue: I know what the original singles sound like and yes, some tracks were lip-synched, but not all of them. I am not an expert in the field but to me it seemed clearly obvious that some were sung live. I am also no acrobat, but could imagine it to be fairly difficult to sing whilst suspended in mid-air and being spun round whilst clinging to the neck of an especially hunky man named Chase, but hey that's just me!

A particularly raunchy segment included the 'Blackout' album track 'Get Naked' and 'In the Zone's ''Breathe On Me', with Spears being blindfolded and lifted in to the air, provoking another response of dizzying wonder.

Crowd favourites included a sexy remix of 'Baby One More Time' and an electro-charged 'Toxic', not forgetting the self-penned 'Everytime' which Spears performed perched on the handle on a large be-jewelled umbrella…very Mary Poppins. A music video montage set to 'Break the Ice' was impressive and reminded the crowd of Spears' crowning achievements to date.


During 'Womanizer', perhaps the crowd pleaser of the night, it wasn't just the crowd that was fired up, as the perimeter of the main stage erupted in to flames, and like the mythical Phoenix, Spears rose once again for a parting solo routine. Thanking her fans and correcting her earlier "What's up London?!" hiccup, Spears took her bow to huge applause.

Admired and emulated by her peers; it was easy to see why Spears' career has spanned a decade and counting; the Madonna of her generation set the standard with dazzling choreography, elaborate stage sets and a high-energy spectacle which whipped fans in to a frenzy and left many, including myself, screaming "Gimme more!"

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