By Holly Thomas
Last updated at 2:30 PM on 29th October 2011
Britney Spears performed the first London concert of her UK tour last night- and the singer certainly made her presence felt.
Wearing a multitude of skimpy costumes, the 29-year-old paraded about the colourful stage showing off her stomach, legs, and as much else as she could get away with.
The singer bared a great deal of midriff throughout the show, at one point wearing only a pink sequined bikini top on her upper half, paired with the briefest of denim hot pants.
Baring (almost) all: Britney kicked off the London leg of her UK tour at the O2 last night with a selection of risque costumes
You want a piece of me? The 29-year-old showed off her midriff in almost every costume throughout her performance
Working up a sweat: Britney may well have been glad that she wasn't too wrapped up considering the amount of energetic dancing involved in the show
Still sporting a slightly curvier figure than she had earlier in her career, the Hold It Against Me star nevertheless looked well, and far fitter than she has in recent years.
Britney's panoply of costumes included a pink basque with black lace detail, which she initially covered with a long white skirt, only to rip it off, revealing fishnet-clad legs.
And whenever the singer donned a jacket - or in the case of an Egyptian-themed routine, a cape - it was swiftly removed to reveal as much as possible.
Feels so good being bad? The singer sang a version of Rihanna's hit S&M - which they have performed together at the Billboard Awards earlier this year
Behind bars? Law and order was a theme which recurred throughout the show at London's O2 arena
Standing out: Britney's eye-grabbing white costume certainly made a contrast to her dancer's black uniform
Another ensemble, intended to echo the ambiance of Ancient Egypt, consisted of a gold bikini with matching boots and a cape - which was naturally removed in short order.
Britney also donned a policewoman-style hat and black leather cropped waistcoat (still baring her stomach) for a saucy rendition of Rihanna's S&M - which she performed with the Barbadian at the Billboard Awards in April.
Whipping her hair: The singer's dance routine made full use of her famous blonde locks
Wind caught your skirt? Britney seemed happy to reveal her pink basque - decorated with black lace-patterned detail - in what looked like an homage to Marilyn Monroe's famous pose
It was as though Britney had taken a few tips from the Umbrella star - who is famed for her risque stage outfits, since Britney's choices were every bit as revealing as any of Rihanna's.
The singer has taken to the UK with relish, and apparently made a few requests so as to feel more at home across the pond.
Drama: At one point Britney took on the character of an Egyptian pharaoh, with her dancers taking on the role of slaves for the London arena show
Historic attire? Britney's minute Egyptian-inspired gold bikini might not have been quite what the ancients wore
According to sources on the tour, Britney asked for portions of fish and chips and 100 figs and prunes.
Insiders have also claimed that the singer requested a photo of Princess Diana backstage at her UK gigs.
'Britney adores the monarchy, Diana was in many ways her inspiration. Also, she doesn't count calories when she's in Britain,' said the source.
Angelic? Britney sang a ballad backed by huge white feathered wings - at odds somewhat with her black stage leotard, boots and fishnets
Getting close: Britney's dancers looked ready to devour the star in her pink pleather suit
Toothpaste and McDonald's cheeseburgers minus the bread rolls were also part of her rider before she performed at London's The O2 last night.
Britney has confessed in the past that she dreams of performing for Diana's son Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge should they wish to watch her show while she is in the UK.
All together now: One one rare occasion Britney's dancers' ensembles matched hers
She said: 'I'm sure they're very, very busy, but if they could squeeze it in that would be amazing.
'It would be amazing if they came to one of my concerts. That would be really crazy and cool. I think they're a beautiful couple.'
Coming off: As usual it didn't take long for the singer to remove her jacket
ADRIAN THRILLS REVIEWS BRITNEY SPEARS' FEMME FATALE TOUR
Britney Spears continued her transition from pop princess to dancefloor vamp as she played her first London concert in two years last night. Music's ultimate showgirl has had a troubled transition into adulthood since becoming the world's biggest-selling teenager 12 years ago, but she has recently got her career back on track, and this slickly choreographed spectacular confirmed her resurgence.
Don't stop movin': Britney takes to the stage at the O2 on her Femme Fatale Tour
Like many other tours by female singers, her Femme Fatale show took its cue from every trek around the globe that Madonna has completed since 2001's Drowned World Tour. The concert was divided into five segments, each with its own special effects, dance routines and dramatic theme.
Despite reports of sluggish ticket sales elsewhere, the O2 was packed with young, mostly female fans as Britney made a Barbarella-like entrance bang on cue. As two giant screens parted like a pair of industrial doors, she strode onto a raised podium wearing a sequinned leotard. With the show's opening sequence based on a prison escape, she performed Hold It Against Me and Up N' Down while surrounded by dancers posing as truncheon-wielding American cops.
As the show moved on to a Marilyn Monroe-themed section, the silly Big Fat Bass was accompanied by Will I Am rapping along via a video link. The third act found Britney dressed as Cleopatra as her dancers gyrated around a Nile river boat, while the fourth section saw her kitted out as a motorcycle girl before a geisha-themed encore. With just one slow number in the whole show, the evening was dominated by shuddering dance music, with nine of its 20 songs from coming from the recent Femme Fatale album.
In her rush to the dancefloor, however, Britney risks forgetting her pop roots. Many of her new tracks, the turbo-charged Euro-disco of I Wanna Go being one, are blessed with strong, sing-along hooks, but there must have been some fans at the O2 who went home mildly dismayed not to have heard older, more innocent hits such as Oops! I Did It Again, Stronger and (You Drive Me) Crazy. At least she did debut single Baby One More Time, albeit as part of a medley alongside a cover of Rihanna's S&M.
What the show lacked, moreover, was soul. One doesn't, of course, go to see Britney expecting the kind of intimate confessionals that have punctuated recent concerts by George Michael and Adele. That has never been her style. But it was still disappointing to witness no real interaction between the singer and her fans beyond cheer-leading of the 'hello London!' variety. What we got was steely-eyed professionalism.
Then there was the perennial question of how much was actually live in the traditional sense. Spears has been accused of lip-synching in the past, and there is always a strong suspicion that concerts featuring so many energetic dance routines contain at least some pre-recorded vocals. When she performed that one ballad, Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know, she did appear to be singing. Elsewhere, it was harder to tell, especially as her voice was thickened by digital effects and then coated in a wall of electronic sound produced by her two keyboard players, the only musicians onstage throughout the show.
But it wasn't really Britney's vaulting vocal histrionics that her fans had come to hear. She has a decent pop voice with an attractive southern twang, but nothing more. What her fans did expect was an entertaining, fast-moving arena show. On that score, they weren't let down.
The Femme Fatale tour continues at the O2 Arena tonight (28 October) and runs until 6 November (livenation.co.uk).
Last I knew, purple isn't pink!
- Lizzie, Fort Lewis, USA, 29/10/2011 05:26
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