Fascination of the Abomination: The Circus that is Britney

By Vida Vongvanith
Editor-at-Large

As everyone headed to Indio for the Coachella music festival, I was headed to Anaheim for the Britney Spears’ concert. And I’m a little bit surprised to find myself saying that I’m not the least bit embarrassed to admit that it was a damn good show. To a capacity crowd of about 17,000, Britney Spears proved why she is a staple of American pop culture.

Her relevance transcends the tweens and the teens – the beer line was as long as the tour merchandise line and although there might have been a couple mothers in the crowd, they definitely weren’t chaperoning their kids for the night. The crowd came dressed to party – tight black dresses and stiletto heels, fedoras and wifebeaters, shirts that read “Rock out with your…out” (I’ll let you figure the rest out) and somewhere in the mix there was even a school girl outfit or two.
The show opened with The Pussycat Dolls who got the crowd revved up with a surprisingly live 35-minute set featuring their hits StickWitU, When I Grow Up, Buttons and Jai Ho. The dancing and singing were on point for all the girls, but it was obviously a Nicole Scherzinger show – it seemed her backup dancers just happened to have microphone props.

After a quick break by the opening act, the Circus began with a slew of amazing acts – acrobats and contortionists – unicyclists and clowns – faux martial arts and ribbon gymnastics. The crowd was in awe (the screaming variety of awe) and the feats were comparable to one of the Cirque du Soleil shows or the ridiculously awesome nightclubs in Cancun (particularly CocoBongo). When the performers finished to a round of applause, it was like the entire crowd realized at the same time that they weren’t there for the Circus, they were there for the Ringleader. The shrill screaming and palpable excitement was both comical and downright awesome as Britney Spears appeared from the rafters to begin her rendition of “Circus.”

The show never lost momentum as writhing male dancers, acrobats and Britney Spears herself dominated the three-ring stage. There was pyrotechnics, a magic show, a Bollywood-esque take on her hit “Me Against the Music,” and countless spectacular dance routines and costume changes. Although the concert was definitely fun to watch and experience, there was very little crowd interaction and I’m sure there were some die-hard fans in the stands who yearned for a little more unscripted Britney.

With her recent drama being played out in the form of documentaries and headline-news, Britney Spears remains an enigma. A pop princess turned queen, an innocent schoolgirl turned mother of two, an international superstar turned train-wreck. Everyone always seems interested in the freak show that is her life but if you’re looking to find answers (or live singing) at the show, you will be sorely disappointed. A tiny glimpse into her soul came with the song “Piece of Me” where Spears was carted around in a gilded cage.

Maybe it was poignant – or maybe it was just a shiny prop, but one thing’s for certain: her recent tabloid-fodder drama is a thing of the past and America’s fascination with her goes beyond the need to rubberneck. Or at least here’s hoping.

Vida Vongvanith is a second-year pharmacy student.