Going to a Britney Spears concert is not on my bucket list. However through the power of the universe I got a free ticket to see Ms. Spears and her Circus at MSG last night.
We timed out entrance perfectly sitting just has the hula hoop lady & tumblers finished up their bit and the curtain came down for the main event. The show started with a lavish video welcome by none other than Ms. Perez Hilton doing his best Queen of Hearts impersonation. For the first time I thought ok, that's kinda brilliant. Getting that crazy Vlog queen, who after slashing Britney to bits over the years, to step and fetch it before she takes the stage gets two thumbs up from me. Because really with out the likes of her where would he be, in line at the Sizzler that's where. So say thank you to the nice lady and go to the salad bar Perez.
Britney's big reveal blew me out of the water. Not because it was SO amazing but because Madison Square Gardens went completely insane. Immediately everyone below us flipped on their phones to catch Ms. Spears in action. A sea of blue light fire flies filled the floor. Their screams almost blotted out the thump-thump of the opening number.
She looked good in her over the top white glitter corset, her weave flapping in the breeze occasionally getting tangled in her hands free mic, which was clearly her best accessory of the night. She by no means was singing, chewing the shit out of her gum yes, but singing no. Note to dresser take Britney's gum out of her mouth before she makes her entrance. With her head plastered on a jumbo tron that chicklet is the size of a bus and destroys any illusion we might have of her actually "singing".
That's when I had my first transcendental thought about what I was seeing. The thousands of fans with there devices held high weren't actually taking the time to experience the concert, to have a moment in the same space and time as Britney. But rather recording a recording of her lip syncing to a recording that they probably already have on their ipods. All of them so desperate to capture a "personal" moment to later show friends at parties or post on you tube. They stood completely disconnected to reality and just watched a subpar grainy copy brought to you by the Verizon network.
Her dancers were outstanding there bodies doing things that frankly defy gravity and all sense of propriety, making Britney look even worse, as she marked her way through numbers or took rides across the stage on various wheeled furniture. Okay so you aren’t singing and you are barely dancing, at best it was a rhythmic strut broken up by brief moments of her shaking her ass. So why all the hoo-ha?
I’ll tell you why, towards the end of the concert they show this video montage of the best of Brit. A decade of unbelievable work before her career got “Federlined” and everything went completely off course to crazytown. Visually reminding us that she had “it”, where “it” went wasn’t a question in the subconscious of her fans all they know is that “it” is back. Bouncing through her life I couldn’t believe all I had forgotten the crescendo building to the Madonna kiss and on cue it incited MSG to raise the roar to another feverish pitch.
Britney as we all knew and loved her flashing before our eyes. Over time we forgive all her missteps, we know how America loves a comeback. Especially after we’ve built someone up so high only to knocked them down just to see what they’ll do next. That is what made it all so surreal. The people gathering in this urban coliseum to see if it would be thumbs up or thumbs down for the Princess of Pop. Clearly the bitch is inching her way back. She’s under tight wraps. Her patter limited to, “Hey New York! How are you doing?” and “Good night New York! Thank you!” Really after all her time performing that’s the best she can do? But like I said that’s all “they” probably will let her do.
She did sing one ballad sitting in a ring that flew above the stage. It was a quiet moment in a sea of leather, bondage and masked freakdom accented by the odd whip or chain, clearly stolen from an old Madonna concert, rehashed but still titillating us in it's veiled material girl homage. She was quiet and sang into a hand held mic, her voice soft and melodic trained and ready. She can do it live, she should do it live. I thought about the greats from the ‘70’s & ‘80’s who would never have dared NOT to sing live. I wonder if there will ever be a Britney that just shows up one day with her band, a Persian rug and just sings. Probably not.
I have never seen one person do so little before so many and make so much in my life. No one seemed to care, not really, we give her a hard time for it but we really don’t want anything else from her. Does she want more from her life as an artist? Or is she happy being wound up and tossed around this Circus? Maybe she’s made peace with that and will make another album maybe two, but then disappear giving way to the next pop idol.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, and won’t that be fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment