Originally posted by The Sacramento Bee

Though Spears performed like a pro throughout the show, hitting all her marks, she had shown hesitancy in her movements - natural for the first stop on a tour. But that hesitancy vanished when she put on the denim. She seemed at ease.

Originally posted by Rolling Stone

Britney Spears Proves She's Still Got It at 'Femme Fatale' Tour Kickoff
Her high-powered performance includes nine songs from her most recent album

Britney Spears is a dozen years into her career, and yet the kickoff of her Femme Fatale tour at the Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento last night managed to propel her forward. She's wisely focusing on the present – she sang nine songs from her latest album Femme Fatale and snagged Nicki Minaj as her opening act – while offering possibly her flashiest, fastest moving, and most entertaining production yet.

Taking her entrance atop a moving platform in the first of many skimpy and sparkling Barbarella-esque outfits, Spears kicked off her performance with "Hold It Against Me." Flipping her massive blonde locks/weave/wig in what the Glee kids call "hairography," Spears shook what her hairdresser gave her while dancing hunks in policeman gear suggestively wielded truncheons around her. For "Up n’ Down," she and her female dancers reappeared in several cages made of poles, and were soon to be joined by the cops executing jungle gym acrobatics atop the cages. White satin fedoras and trench coats were donned for "3," and for "Piece of Me" she flew over the stage until the cops ripped off their shirts to reveal S&M bondage harnesses.

It was that kind of show, and the largely female audience sprinkled with some enthusiastic guys liked it that way: Throughout her set, the screaming from the fans rarely relented. Just about every number offered a different a visual theme more over-the-top than the one before it. "Big Fat Bass" featured giant speaker cabinets with woofers circled by flashing, color-changing lights. Spears took her entrance during "How I Roll" in a car that resembled a pink Mini Cooper. The hood folded into steps that allowed Spears to walk over and down the car – one of many agile moves Spears executed without twisting an ankle.

Her set was half over before she sang a track older than four years; this was "Boys (Remix)," followed by the sole slowie, "Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know," which she sang on a swing. Here her mike was clearly turned on, and the results confirmed why Spears typically relies on prerecorded vocals. Her surprise cover of Madonna’s early single "Burning Up" lacked Madge’s authority, but it did feature Spears straddling a giant glittering guitar 10 or so feet high and twice as long. Her encore of "Toxic" featured a booming Dance Dance Revolution-styled remix with Japanese kimonos and dancing ninjas to match while "Till the World Ends" included Minaj rapping via video — an odd choice, since she was likely still backstage.

Minaj’s own set lacked Spears’s budget or sharp choreography. Instead, the rapper tottered around on lime green platform shoes that threatened to tip her balance. Although she’s styled as a dance-pop diva, Minaj did little dancing — or singing, or even live rapping. Like Spears, much of her vocals were clearly prerecorded, which got a little too obvious during "Monster." Obviously she doesn’t have Kanye West with her, but throughout even her part in the song she sat nearly immobile, not bothering to hold a mike or move her lips.

Minaj clearly has stage presence, and the fact that fans cheered through abbreviated versions of her hits means that she’s doing something right by just showing up. But as a showcase for her considerable talents, her Thursday night performance lacked the commitment of her records. Surely the wild woman of "Did It On’em" can do better.

But really, the night belonged to Britney: She managed to prove that she's still progressing as a showgirl. Not only that, she's doing it better than even diehard defenders would’ve predicted. At 29, the pop star whose career seemed in danger of ending just a couple years ago has shown that she's back – hopefully this time to stay.

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Originally posted by Linnen Armani

All the bows just for singing live.

Congrats anyway

Originally posted by Rîh.røx.

Uhhh... "Here her mike was clearly turned on, and the results confirmed why Spears typically relies on prerecorded vocals."

Can someone post a link of that video.

Originally posted by Billboard

Britney Spears Kicks Off Femme Fatale Tour in Sacramento

Britney Spears made her long-awaited arena return when her Femme Fatale tour kicked off at the Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday (June 16). A slew of fan videos recorded last night capture the pop star running through her stacked back catalogue, along with new hits like "Hold It Against Me" and "I Wanna Go."

In this fan-shot video, Spears can be seen leaning on the front wheel of a motorcycle and singing "...Baby One More Time" as leather-clad male dancers perform backflips and tumbles around her. After performing a quick slow-dance with one of her dancers, she shoves him to the ground, and soon the backing track morphs into the Spears-assisted remix of Rihanna's "S&M."

The next clip shows Spears leading a fist-pump session as her fans sing along to her latest single, "I Wanna Go." A couple of lucky Britney worshippers even got to join the singer onstage and pose for a few photos.

Spears slowed things down and took a seat on a giant metallic swing for "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know." Halfway through the track, a shirtless male acrobat hangs from a harness attached to the bottom of the swing, with Spears still belting out the ballad.

"Hold It Against Me," the lead single to "Femme Fatale," was also given a flashy set piece, with Spears leading a massive sing-along while performing dance moves in a silver two-piece next to some light-footed police officers. The pop star gets locked in a faux-jail cell and soon begins singing "Up N Down."

Of course, "Till the World Ends" wouldn't have felt right without tour opener Nicki Minaj getting in on the fun: the rapper's opening verse of the remix to the hit single was shown on a giant screen, while Spears danced around in a sleek black outfit.

After the Sacramento show wrapped, Spears posted on Twitter, "Can't sleep. WAY too much Adrenaline right now. Sacramento was on fire tonight. You ready San Jose? Cause I am!!!!" The Femme Fatale tour continues Saturday at San Jose, Calif.'s HP Pavilion, and ends its U.S. run on Aug. 25 before heading to Europe in September.

Nearly three months after "Femme Fatale" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, "Till the World Ends," holds at No. 12 on this week's Hot 100. Meanwhile, the official music video for "I Wanna Go" will make its MTV premiere on Wednesday (June 22), just in time to qualify for this year's Video Music Awards.

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Originally posted by The Sacramento Bee

Spears finds groove, Minaj mesmerizes in Sacramento concert

Britney Spears was several songs into her concert Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion when her performance truly began to sparkle.

Call it the cut-offs factor.

Spears spent the first part of the show illustrating the "Femme Fatale" theme of her tour -- which kicked off in Sacramento -- by wearing shiny bikinis, a 1940s-inspired gold cape and a billowing skirt a la Marilyn Monroe 's in "The Seven Year Itch."

After she changed into rhinestone-studded Daisy Dukes for "Baby One More Time," the difference was remarkable.

Though Spears performed like a pro throughout the show, hitting all her marks, she had shown hesitancy in her movements - natural for the first stop on a tour. But that hesitancy vanished when she put on the denim. She seemed at ease.

The Louisiana's native's sexiness has always been more good ol' gal than femme fatale.

Spears captivated during the cut-offs segment, singing her own hits "Slave 4 U" and "Womanizer" while covering - and clearly relishing -- Rihanna's "S&M" and Madonna's "Burning Up," the latter of which she performed while straddling a giant prop guitar.

It was not as dirty as it sounds, if only because Spears, at 29, still retains an air of wholesomeness that has survived the schoolgirl uniforms, giant snakes and tabloid traumas.

She can still seem wholesome because she inspires an unusual amount of empathy, for a big star. There's a desire to see her succeed that derives from her audience having watched her grow up, and struggle, in the spotlight.

That's why it was so satisfying to see her relax, and appear to be having as much fun as the enthusiastic audience at Power Balance Pavilion.

The sellout crowd -- composed mainly of young women who were kids when Spears was a teen star -- thrilled from the start to Spears' stellar pop songs. The set list, containing several electro-pop songs from Spears' 2011 album "Femme Fatale," provided constant hooks and so much big, fat bass that there's a song from the album called "Big Fat Bass."

That Spears' show features the heavy use of backing tracks is no surprise at this point. She didn't exactly start out on the Lilith Fair, singing earnest folk songs and strumming guitar.

The stage set's Deco-inspired metal and neon touches reflected the "Femme Fatale" theme well, but the abundant props sometimes overwhelmed Spears and her amazingly agile backup dancers/acrobats. Along with riding the giant guitar, Spears rides in a car and on various apparati.

The show's "Femme Fatale" narrative, explained by video clips in which a villainous guy threatens Spears-as-Mata Hari, was comparatively unfussy.

Opener Nicki Minaj 's narrative, by contrast, was a puzzle involving Minaj's alter ego Roman Zolanski and a figure who looked like Jigsaw from the "Saw" movies, but in priest's robes. Or maybe Jigsaw and Roman Zolanski were the same figure.

The kook factor only enhanced Minaj's magnetism.

It is tempting to call Minaj the best female rapper out there. But that is reductionist. She's a compelling, inventive rapper regardless of gender, alternating agitation and smooth flow in delivering clever lyrics.

But it's Minaj's attention to detail in performance -- from the cut of her wig and shine of her space-inspired suit to movements that go from Barbie doll-stiff to controlled grooving to death-scene flop to the floor -- that put her in another realm.

Throughout much of a set that included plenty of rough language and boasting, Minaj maintained a pleasant, radiant expression. She used the big screens on either side of the stage as her canvas, subtly working her eyes and smile to mesmerizing effect.

Such showmanship erased the usual awkwardness that arises during a set by a rapper or singer whose hits are collaborations with other rappers or singers who aren't there. Trey Songz was absent for "Bottoms Up" for example, and Rihanna for "Fly," but it didn't matter. Minaj's boatload of charisma had it covered.

(Her lyrics were rather advanced for some of the youngest members of the audience. Here's hoping the rapidity of her delivery kept them from making out the words).

Minaj raps on Spears' "Till the World Ends." But rather than bring out opener Minaj for that number, Spears showed taped footage of Minaj's part.

That's just odd, and not in a Minaj way.

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Originally posted by MTV

Britney Spears Kicks Off 'Flashiest' Tour Yet
The Femme Fatale launched her tour in Sacramento, California, and is getting raves from music critics.

On Thursday night, Britney Spears declared herself a Femme Fatale, launching her tour in Sacramento, California. Having already garnered praise from critics who attended her dress rehearsal, Spears got more rave reviews from music journalists who attended the kick-off show.

In addition to the glitzy costumes and high production value, Spears flaunted her stage chops, sashaying to songs like "Hold It Against Me" and "Big Fat Bass," as well as old-school jams like "Toxic" and "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know."

Describing it as "her flashiest, fastest moving, and most entertaining production yet," Rollingstone.com said that while tour-opener Nicki Minaj brought her signature sass, "The night belonged to Britney: She managed to prove that she's still progressing as a showgirl. Not only that, she's doing it better than even die-hard defenders would've predicted."

The Sacramento Bee explained that while "Spears performed like a pro throughout the show, hitting all her marks, she had shown hesitancy in her movements — natural for the first stop on a tour. But that hesitancy vanished when she put on the denim. She seemed at ease."

The best review of all may have come from Spears herself, who enthusiastically took to Twitter to thank her fans: "Can't sleep. WAY too much Adrenaline right now. Sacramento was on fire tonight. You ready San Jose? Cause I am!!!!"

Once she wraps her San José, California, tour stop on Friday night (June 17), Spears will take her show to Los Angeles on Monday. The U.S. tour dates wrap up on August 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Femme Fatale Tour then heads to Europe in September for two more months before closing on November 9 in Portugal.

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Originally posted by People

Britney Spears Kicks Off Tour with Support from Boyfriend Jason Trawick

Hordes of Britney Spears concertgoers cheered and chanted along as the pop star kicked off her Femme Fatale tour in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday night, but before she took the stage, the singer had some special support from her No. 1 fan.

Boyfriend of two years (and her former agent) Jason Trawick was at her side backstage, giving the costumed Spears an apparent good luck-hug in a photo she Tweeted before dominating the Power Balance Pavilion.

"It's Opening Night B–––!" she wrote.

Spears, 29, launched the show with her hit, "Hold It Against Me," bringing the glitz and the glam in her Zaldy Goco-designed ensembles.

"Can't sleep," she Tweeted after the show. "WAY too much Adrenaline right now. Sacramento was on fire tonight."

Critics seemed to share her excitement about the tour, which hits San Jose, Calif., Saturday night. "The night belonged to Britney," a Rolling Stone review read. Calling it her flashiest show yet, the report continued: "The pop star whose career seemed in danger of ending just a couple years ago has shown that she's back – hopefully this time to stay."

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