Britney Spears -Piece Of Me Tour
Scarborough Open Air Theatre
17th August 2018
It's Another sunny day as I arrive in this North Yorkshire Seaside Town, ready for tomorrows show.
My B&B is lush ,I'm totally spoilt here, I've a lovely room with snacks and drinks you name it the hosts have thought of it right down to luxuries in the bathroom.
There's enough time to look around some of 'Scarborough' and over at the theatre the crew are working hard to get the stage ready for tomorrows show, early start tomorrow but first ....Party .
Early morning 5am no time for breakfast my B&B made up a take away Brunch for me so I didn't miss out on eating before the long day ahead,it's not very sunny today and when we are queuing for hours it's breezy on 'Scarborough ' we have to walk towards the beach to get warmer, there are only 5 , by 4 pm a few more join a bit quiet for the 'Britney Army',maybe its the weather or the fact its a week day.
6pm delay getting in after extensive 'Soundcheck' without 'Britney's vocal she doesn't do live Vocals as she says she's a dancer that's what she believes , so should I say it must of been a 'Dancecheck' , but wristbanded and ready to go.
As we go through there's room on the front right, not 15 minutes into waiting for support act 'Pitbull', he's on at 7.30pm the rain hasn't stopped. so much so some of the electric front facing lights have been removed for health and safety.
Never the less 'Pitbill' arrives followed by his troupe of slightly racy female dancers in Red PVC erm... Apparel he begins his set it's an Ibiza tinged dance pumping set 'Don't Stop The Party' and 'On The Floor',I think I'll only know one song but I'm wrong I seem to know them all, it's still raining non stop but his dancers get on with the twerking, he soon has everyone dancing in the crowd and singing all the lyrics including me.
I hadn't expected it would be this fun 'DJ got us Falling In Love', and 'I Know You Want Me. and video screens coming to life for 'Hotel Room Service', it's 8.30pm as they leave the stage and there are rumours 'Britney' wont come out on stage if its raining, so it takes extra effort for her crew to clean the stage and mop up the water in readiness for a show,we're hoping she starts it soon.
After 9pm dry ice is let outbut still no sign of any movement on stage and it's showering down again, a few minutes later lights go down and looks like the show has finally began,when her male dancers appear and 'Britney' appears on the stairway in front of me to the right.
She steps down onto the stage, shes right there in Jacket, Hat and costume with her headset,as the immortal words "It's Britney Bitch" boom from the PA during 'Work Bitch' as she rips through the song like a work out instructor ,there I am one of Madonna's Biggest Fans looking right at her,but I'm not here to draw comparisons.... yet.
Her female dancers join her on stage as they perform 'Womanizer'she's now wearing a 'Belly Dancer' type Bikini outfit with fishnets her hair scraped back in a pony tail after tying it back, she's trim and fit, she has been through a lot lately so you can see shes worked hard to keep in shape,shes a survivor and an idol to many.
From my fav albums in her career 'Blackout', and 'Circus', so from that 'Break The Ice' and 'Piece Of Me' the name of her tour,its not hard to see that a lot of money was spent on the stage effects to take the audience on a journey its just done a residency in Las Vegas so it's a grand and glamourous affair.
Another outfit change later she's going right back to a medley of 'Baby One More Time/Oops I Did It Again' the crowd are crazy for 'Britney',the next song is recognisable to me , is she really going to have a go at 'Me Against The Music' without 'Madonna' on vocals yes it seems she is, the wall from the video is wheeled on in separate sections and the dancers work through it, an odd choice to play but as she wants to represent all the 'Hits' it was necessary I see that.
This show is not short on 'Hit's this show is full of them 'Gimme More' and then the stage backdrop becomes a huge wall of videos full of colour and vibrance during an interval shes back on for 'Boys' and is lifted high into the air, the audience are entertained shes doing a good job, I cannot obviously review this show in a Live Music context it's a performance but its theatrical and more impressive than I imagined, she's working up a sweat in 'Slave 4 U' and 'Do Somethin'.
She speaks to the crowd during the set something she doesnt do much I was told and it humanised her to me, my favourite act from the show was 'The Circus' set denoting songs from that album of the same name full of dancers doing acrobat moves and colourful dressed dancers both Male and Female, 'If You Seek Amy' by the end of that song she invites a fan from Backstage to come onstage with her where she promptly gets him tied up and has him crawling on the floor yes this did make me think "Ah Now this is 'Britney' fxxking with Madonna fans" but as it didn't last long I forgot it .
More of a slow brooding 'Moulin Rouge' a la musical fairytale version for 'Toxic' in silver diamante Bikini top and hotpants I had thought it would of been better a fast version of this song considering it's popularity with people here and was much shorter than the original track .
We then got 'Stronger/Crazy' and she ended with 'Til The World Ends' and she and her dancers took a bow she looked very pleased by the applause and reaction of her fans, she liked us as crowds go, there was a chemistry.
I came away from it with an affection for her and respect, that she conquered the 'Scarborough' weather, played a great show without hitches and pleased all her fans that had waited to see her for years , and she wanted it to be a success it was in the end.
End Of First Segment- Into Encore
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