I know that my blog posts have been a little one tracked lately. Instead of logging on to read about amusing things that have happened or that I've dealt with, you've gotten plastered with Britney, Britney, Britney!
And after this, I promise, I am done for awhile. I'll go back to my sarcasm and my cynicism and my quick (at times) wit.
I have to admit, I battled back and forth over even writing a review for Britney's concert. But here it is. It was requested...and I felt the need to write it down...and give my awesome memories some permanence.
So without further ado...
A Useless Review from a Useless Mindof The Circus Starring Britney Spearsat Mellon Arena on Friday, March 27, 2009Thursday night, I drove to State College to meet up with my BFFF Honkus. The drive took place after working a full day and not sleeping a whole lot the night before. Plus, it rained all day. I made it there around 8 and after a late dinner (and almost pissing myself twice on the drive there -- thanks Mari for distracting me from that first mishap), Honkus and I settled in with a few Strongbows and championed our way through watching every Britney tour that she had on DVD.
After another night of little sleep, I hoped I'd wake up enough in time for the concert. Stacey, Honkus and I drove to Johnstown to pick up Honkus' mom...and in an almost Brit-like moment, Honkus (this is the girl who drunk texted me "Ah ur mom!!! ah britney spears soon ah she is my hero ah she is a phonix rising fromthe ashes she is fucking god...I'm not a catholic I'm a britolic...she is my anti-drug, my mother, jesus maybe sean and jayden are jesus" -- yes, Honkus, I did just write that text out in my blog. I even spell checked it for you...:)) , tried to drink a Diet Red Bull. I shouldn't say tried, because she did drink it. But she had a hard time doing it. Semantics of the English language.
Anyway...we got to Pittsburgh, checked into the hotel, ate dinner, and then caught the T to Mellon Arena. On the way there, Honkus decided to check BreatheHeavy on her phone.
BreatheHeavy is my absolute favorite Britney fan site. It tells me more about her than her so called "Official" site. Jordan does a fabulous job with the site at bringing people up to date Brit news...the good and the bad. And that day there was bad news. Due to some really shady shit, Jordan announced he had to shut the fan site down. Something about "Copyright Infringement" which is absolute bullshit...but anyway. My ranting about BreatheHeavy's Demise (even if Jordan is doing roundabout things to continue posting) isn't the point of this whole review (we haven't even gotten to Mellon Arena yet). So that kind of put me into a somewhat shit mood on the way to the Arena. Yet again, Britney's dad and his controlling ways had trumped my mood. (I was all for the Conservatorship...but she's ready to be on her own. Touring the way she has has proved that). Anyway...
We got to Mellon Arena and picked up our tickets. After the ticket drama (which I'm not going to write about because it was long and involved and involved scammers in Africa of all places...reminded me of the Fall Out Boy ticket fiasco we went through in London), it felt nice to have real official tickets in our hands. After seeing Brit's tour bus (yes, that cotton candy pink monstrosity), we entered the venue. I love Mellon Arena. I've seen hockey games there. Hell, I graduated there, right on the ice. So the place holds some fond memories.
And it was pure chaos inside. There were so many people. It was way worse than any other event I'd ever been to at Mellon arena. The social anxiety inside of me was thanking logical me for taking an extra Zoloft that day.
We decided to find our seats before picking up our merchandise...and the seats Honkus got us were INCREDIBLE. The only way we would have been closer was if we had ring side seats. Otherwise, we were totally front row. Right in front of us, was a walkway and off towards the right was an entrance where the dancers went to get access beneath the stage and stagehands used it to take props away after they'd been used on the stage.
I was worried I was going to hate the fact that the stage was pretty much a huge circle...but I ended up loving it. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Honkus and I went to buy our merch, which was, not surprisingly, super costly. We ended up only getting shirts and programs...which ended up being fine, because our VIP seats came with some serious swag (messenger bags, laminated ticket stock, fake backstage passes, clings, pins, on and on). The line was ridiculous for the stuff, but Honkus stuck it out like a pro.
So then we went back to our seats to sit down and wait for the Pussycat Dolls. The wait wasn't long at all before they took the stage. Now, we all know how I am about the PCD. I love their dance music...but
really don't understand some of it. Anyway...
They were FANTASTIC. They were also a great way to realize how close we literally were to the stage and what a fantastic view we had. They kept the crowd energy high and even remembered where they were performing (Pittsburgh...how bout them Stillers).
Before Brit took the stage, I figured I'd better go pee (I know my bladder too well), so I hurried in between sets to do just that. After witnessing a near fist fight in the bathroom and getting interviewed by a girl who worked for MTV, I made it back in time to catch the end of the Big Apple Circus performers keeping the crowd alive before Brit took the stage.
So we're sitting there...just minding our own business, acting super excited because we were...and then Larry Rudolph, Brit's manager, walked right in front of us. Honkus and I looked at each other and somehow we communicated that yes, Larry Rudolph was really just five feet away from us. We could have touched the man.
I think that was what made the fact that we were at a Britney Spears concert with amazing seats so real. The fact that the man who is her right hand was right there. He's seen her through so much (even if I have mixed feelings for him)...her rise to stardom, her divorce from Kevin...true, they broke off relations during those few dark years of her life...but he's back now and is one of the reasons why she's been able to reclaim her throne so easily.
But then we didn't have time to really think about it anymore, because the lights dimmed and Perez Hilton dawned the video screens...and it was finally time.
Years of dreaming about it...and here I was...actually about to see Britney Spears perform.
Now I could do a song by song breakdown of the show, but honestly, that'd ruin it for me. What you need to know, is that Britney was incredible. Long gone was her hesitation to performing. You could just watch her face and tell that she was up there doing the one thing that she loved to do.
The costumes were incredible. The dancers were honestly super amazing (and Brit's supposed new boytoy dancer Chace is hot as hell). The dancing was off the hook. The mixing of the music was fantastic (way to make me LOVE "Me Against the Music" guys...I'd given up on really enjoying it).
I've been asked quite a few times since I got back if she lip synched, which to me is a stupid question. It's Britney Spears. Of course she lip synchs. As a fan, it's just something you know. With all the high energy she has going on up there, you either worry about your vocals or your dancing performance. And let's face it. Brit's an entertainer. She doesn't have the pipes that Christina Aguilera has...but she's twice the performer. When she goes on tour, it's a show, a spectical...which is what I think puts her on a different plane than other female performers.
But rant aside...
It was amazing. I loved the props and just...damn. Everything. It was amazing. It was something you just had to experience. I could write about it, but it wouldn't even touch how amazing the whole thing was.
The only worrysome moment we had the entire show was during "I'm a Slave 4 U" (props to Jamie King -- tour director -- for keeping parts of the original dance...loved that it stayed original, but new at the same time), when Brit went up on an unsteady platform while fire erupted in a circle around her. We could only see her from behind (remember the stage was a circle), but from the way she just stood there, with her knees pulled together and her arms out, you just knew something was wrong. (YouTube it...I have a vid of it...but haven't gotten around to putting the stuff up yet) When her feet were firmly on the ground again, she turned around and approached our side of the stage. You could just read on her face how pissed she was about the mishap. She walked through the final motions of the song and left the stage...
And I'm going to admit it. From just seeing that expression on her face, I was worried that she'd just call the whole thing off.
But I never should have doubted Britney.
She did come back on stage...and was back to being the professional performer that I've grown to love. Once again, she was spot on and one hundred and fifty percent into her performance.
After the "Womanizer" encore, a goofy dance circle, and massive amounts of confetti, the experience was over.
It was a super bittersweet moment.
For months, years even, we were looking forward to this concert...and it was over.
But on the other hand, it was absolutely, without a doubt, the best show that I have ever been to. Its energy and Brit's performance itself was a reaffirmation.
She may have hit the rocks for a few years there...but the bitch is back.
And I'm serious in saying that she's better than ever.
The end.
