Britney Spears lip synchs for her life |
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Seattle Gay News
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posted Friday, July 1, 2011 - Volume 39 Issue 26 Britney Spears lip synchs for her lifeby Joshua Michael Rumley - Special to the SGN Britney Spears June 29 Tacoma Dome After attending the recent Britney Spears Femme Fatale concert at the Tacoma Dome, I feel a sudden need to organize an intervention - not for Britney's reported addiction to Cheetos, but for her fans. I have been a fan of Britney Spears since she first emerged on the music scene. I instantly fell in love with her fresh pop beats, her high school cheerleader-esque dance moves, and her assortment of fabulous outfits. The present-day Britney is just a shell of the performer she once was. I don't think either of us could convincingly pull off the iconic schoolgirl uniform from '&Baby One More Time' anymore. (Trust me, I've tried.) The overall concert experience and Britney's performance, interestingly enough, weren't dependent on one another. The pulse-pounding music, the larger-than-life visuals (a pink Mini Cooper that actually drove onto the stage), and the army of amazingly toned dancers were a perfect distraction from the fact that Britney was lip-synching most of her songs. I half expected Ru Paul to come out at the beginning of every set and proclaim, 'The time has come for you to lip synch for your life!' I've seen a better Britney Spears performance from a drag queen at Le Faux at Julia's on Broadway then I did from the real Britney. While Britney's performance quality is a shadow of what it once was, her music quality has skyrocketed. The set list from the concert consisted primarily of songs from her new Femme Fatale album. There was something really exciting about hearing 'Till the World Ends,' 'Hold it Against Me,' 'Up 'n' Down,' and my new personal favorite from the album, 'Big Fat Bass,' booming over the speakers. Her producers should be applauded for crafting new tunes for Britney that incorporate new music trends and styles such as dubstep. Britney did what has become her usual dance routine: two-step, hair toss, side hip roll, then point toward a random member in the audience, which is a far cry of the Britney of the 'Slave 4 U' era of her career. I kept hoping for the moment where Britney would silence the naysayers and pull out the dance moves we know she is capable of. Sadly, she never did, and it actually appeared as if she wasn't committing to all of her moves. I was surprised by the number of times Britney sat down during her performance. It seemed as if each new set piece that came onto the stage was another place for Britney to sit: a huge rotating guitar, the hood of the aforementioned Mini Cooper, a large Egyptian bird boat, and a sexy tattooed dancer's lap. I can't blame her for the dancer - if I had my way, I would have sat on him, too - but there is more movement from senior citizen mall walkers then there was from Britney on stage. I understand Britney has had an intense couple of years with her mental breakdown, the birth of her two beautiful boys, and her short-lived marriage to the slimiest person outside of a downtown pawn shop, Kevin Federline. But Britney Spears is a pop star. She gets paid millions of dollars to be sexy, to dance, and sometimes to sing, so I can't be faulted for having a certain expectation and standard of her as an artist. Plus her record company is charging upwards of $400 for some tickets. The show was a perfectly packaged assault on the senses, and if you're looking for an evening of escapist fun, then the Femme Fatale concert is right up your alley. Just be warned the sugary pop rush does come with a hangover. As I look back I can't piece together what really happened but I desperately try to reassure myself, for Britney's sake, that I enjoyed it. Consider this your intervention. |
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