San Jose Mercury News Hating Again, What Else Is New?
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Some fans felt cheated that Britney Spears only performed three tunes during her much-ballyhooed free concert back in March in San Francisco.
As it turns out, however, they were lucky.
The same can't be said for the patrons who turned out to see Brit-Brit's full-length concert on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Not only did these folks have to pay for their tickets, but they also had to sit through a shockingly poor outing from one of pop music's biggest stars.
I've seen five of Spears' six headlining tours -- the only one I missed was her first offering, 1999-2000's "The ... Baby One More Time Tour." I've seen her at her best -- 2001-02's The Dream Within a Dream Tour, which ranks as one of the best pop music productions I've ever witnessed -- and now I've seen her, quite likely, at her worst.
The current Femme Fatale Tour, in support of the chart-topping record of the same name, is a mess pretty much from start to finish. The theatrics are awkward and confusing, the dance routines are numbingly bland and old-hat, the song selection is weak and misguided, and Britney's star power, so blinding on tours past, is remarkably dim.
What makes this turn of events so depressing is that Femme Fatale directly follows 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears, a comeback tour that -- while not without minor problems -- certainly served as a solid statement that the long-troubled star was still capable of being a first-rate
entertainer.
The most telling sign of Saturday's failure was the crowd. I've never seen less excitement from fans at a Britney Spears concert than what I witnessed Saturday from this capacity audience.
The show began with a convoluted video segment, which had the 29-year-old star on the run from the law for no discernible reason. She climbed over barbed wire fences, gunned down some of her chasers with a pistol and eventually was apprehended by the police. At that point, the real Britney appeared onstage, wrapped in something resembling gauze tape, and began to gyrate through the incredibly insipid recent single "Hold It Against Me."
The Britney-vs.-the-law theme would continue, for no good reason whatsoever, as Spears and four other female dancers were imprisoned in cages for "Up n' Down." Who knew that the uniforms in women's prisons consisted of platform boats and go-go dancer garb? Or that the prison bars could be so easily used like stripper poles? I guess those old women-in-prison movies -- "Caged Heat," anybody? -- were telling the truth.
She'd escape from prison with remarkable ease at the start of "3," which, for those keeping score, was indeed the third song played. She'd spend that number dancing around in a short white raincoat, hat and sunglasses, trying to convey -- I guess -- that she was hiding from her pursuers. (She needed worry about the "cops," since all they'd do was writhe about the floor once they caught up with Spears.)
The cops-and-robbers motif would (thankfully) end, only to be replaced by a steady succession of theatrics that made equally little sense. At one point, she even borrowed from Marilyn Monroe, mimicking the famous air-blows-up-the-dress bit. Try as she might, Spears simply couldn't keep her dress down. Yeah, in other words, it was just like her real life.
On the plus side, Spears seemed in good shape and she had no trouble keeping pace with all her dancers. Yet, there wasn't a single routine that really wowed the crowd. And, of course, her "vocals" were problematic, lending further credence to the charges of lip-syncing that have dogged her entire career.
Most troubling was that this production completely sabotaged her single greatest asset — and that (get your mind out of the gutter) is her charisma. Spears simply couldn't rise above the chaotic dance routines, ludicrous theatrics, goofy bells and whistles and steady onslaught of faceless techno-pop songs.
The stage was perhaps the most impressive part of the production, and even that wasn't so great. It featured a long catwalk that extended out to a strangely shaped second stage that was supposed to resemble -- what? Was it a bird? A plane?
Oh, I know, it was probably a shark -- just like the one Spears seems dead set on jumping.
And #00PS at the comments on the site...
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Vincent Soto · Stalking Britney at Britney Spears Stalker
All a lie, this was an amazing preformance, your just a hater and have nothing better to do but just write a page and hate on Britney Spears your just mad the bitch is back and Better than ever!
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Martin Sole · Opunake High School
Agreed He Made Me Angry Reading All a It Haha
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Vincent Soto · Stalking Britney at Britney Spears Stalker
lol ikr I saw it and was like wtf? I looked at the video on youtube and the crowed was wild about her and she was good I don't know what he is talking about haha
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Martin Sole · Opunake High School
Yea I Seen Like Her Do Bout 7 Dif Songz Lookd Pretty Great Really Ha,. He Has Alot a Hate I Wanna Write Him a Letter Loll. Maybe Send a Bomb Lol Jokes
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
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Zing Li · Head Mascot at Mascot for Norfolk Terrace D Block Floor One.
Its an amazing show. You would';t know pop talent if it slapped you across the face. P.s your writing abilities are terrible and clearly can't comprehend the fact that the femme fatale tour is so much more energetic than the circus, with better dancing 50% LIVE vocals and better production. FAIL on your behalf.
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Poison Paradise
Yes, he failed to mention the effort on her teams part. They listened to the fans requests. The fans wanted more live vocals and she did just that. Also, even though I talked harshly on the setlist, the bonus tracks she performed were requested by fans. She about to lose me was a fan favorite.
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Mark Willis · System administrator at Sutter Health
Wow 50% live vocals at a live performance. That'll put the rumors of lip-synching to rest once and for all!
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· Reply · about an hour ago
Sinead McCaffrey · Belfast, United Kingdom
What a douche! Hate old men who go to concerts, write articles and constantly hate! All of her fans are saying she was amazing... so save it, no one wants to hear your stupid opinion!!
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Ricardo Garcia · College of the Sequoias
*yaaawwwnnns* I've read better "reviews" in my sister's middle school newspaper talking about a Disney channel show.
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Brandon Joseph · Orange, California
this was my sentiments exactly.
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Brandon Joseph · Orange, California
omg w8 ur britrick huh LOL
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Ricardo Garcia · College of the Sequoias
LMFAO! Yes!. Hi
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
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Zing Li · Head Mascot at Mascot for Norfolk Terrace D Block Floor One.
P.S LOL AT THE AUDIENCE COMMENT. The fans were so loud she had to shush them AGAIN FAIL ON YOUR PART
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Tommy Gaston · ASU
What's most troubling is how busted this review is. Get a grip and give the girl a little bit of credit.
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Brandon Joseph · Orange, California
Seriously. HOW IS THIS GUY NOT WORKING FOR ROLLING STONE? Lmfao.
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Christopher Lloyd-jones
what a knob!!!!!! ive watched some video's on you tube and i'm lovin the whole concert and have tickets for Manchester UK people just have to put other people down to feel better about themselves
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Sneha Bhushan
this s all fake news !!when the queen of pop is performing !!!u plz stay away !!! BRITNEY ROCKS
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Daniel Tice · New York, New York
What an utter and complete lie this article is. Jim Harrington should be ashamed of himself for perpetuating such lies. I have to wonder if he even attended the performance. If I remember correctly Britney shushed the crowed at one point. She even went so far as to tweet-"My ears are RINGING San Jose! You guys were SO loud! Thanks for all the love. On my way home to LA LA LAND. U ready? -Britney". So it seems he is very much wrong on that part. While I agree her "Dream Within A Dream Tour" was her best concert she deserves credit for giving us exactly what we want...a fantastic time.
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· Reply · about an hour ago
Lindsey Bartsch
What a jerk of a reporter. Let's see! She gets rave reviews from journalists at Rolling stone etc, people that actually know about music and are qualified to write about it. This guy is obviously stuck in a time warp. Probably hasn't ben to a concert in 20 yrs and had a hard time keeping up with the awesomness of it all. Should be fired for writing such garbage! Look at the You tube videos of Britney's concert and watch the crowd going wild. Such a loser of a reporter!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wondering who paid you to write this trash?
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· Reply · 2 hours ago
Aaron Aj Perra
RIGHT....ALL LIES....Just another person out-right attacking britney....Us fans, know that britney is getting steller reviews...Britney Spears knows that there will always be ugly haters....like this person!!! This whole article NEEDS to be REMOVED...GET UR FACTS STRAIGHT...STUPIDHATER!
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Matthew Masters · Battle Abbey School
Well you obviously have no skill in writing what so ever? This is terrible and the publishing of this is a joke, because its all lies? 'I've never seen less excitement from fans at a Britney Spears concert than what I witnessed Saturday from this capacity audience.' Explain why she said they were loud? and she told them to shush. YOU ARE SO BIND BLOWINLY NEGATIVE.
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· Reply · 2 hours ago
Andres Loo Thye Chun · Assistant Secretary at NoIse Performance House
this is not true! Britney's famme fatale tour was a best tour ever and she did it. She prove to you all hater that she still has the star power with her. Stop saying this crazy things. thank you!
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Matthew Croucher
Oh please. Go be bitter somewhere else.:Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue has ever been put up to a critic.
Jean Sibelius
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
Octabio Gonzalez · Fresno High
Stop being a hater!!!!! The concert was da best!!!!!!! She did an amazing job!!!!! Reason why cans kept on cheering for her!!!!
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Mark Willis · System administrator at Sutter Health
Do any Britney Spears fans know how to spell, capitalize and use punctuation?
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· Reply · about an hour ago
Dwi Satryadhi · PIKMI Surabaya , indonesia
I know u probably one of britney's haters , do you really think all bigest performer doing live performance 100 % live ? Most of them at least 50 % live , even madonna , Mj , beyonce so ...dont be mad
· Reply · 42 minutes ago
Mark Willis · System administrator at Sutter Health
Thank-you for making my point so clearly.
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· Reply · 38 minutes ago
Christopher Arenas
I have seen videos in youtube and it seems that the girl is trying her best to entertain her audience. So why put so much hate on her and create this garbage which you call an article? Get a life dude!
· Reply · 4 minutes ago
Cameron Watt
The review is SHOCKINGLY inaccurate. Were we at the same concert? She killed it and the crowd was amazing ... my ears are still ringing. What an effing hater.
· Reply · 35 minutes ago
Aaron Aj Perra
right...go away dude...like every comment is about YOU!!!!! #STUPIDHATERS!!!!
· Reply · 3 hours ago
Silvana Santos · Escola Secundária Coelho e Castro Fiães
LOL no sense at all
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· Reply · 4 hours ago
Silvana Santos · Escola Secundária Coelho e Castro Fiães
"The most telling sign of Saturday's failure was the crowd. I've never seen less excitement from fans at a Britney Spears concert than what I witnessed Saturday from this capacity audience." - This is the worst part of the review and you fail pretty well! San Jose was one the best crowds she ever had
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· Reply · 3 hours ago
François Gagnon · Montreal, Quebec
She seems to give her heart on this tour. This review is all LIES. FAIL.
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· Reply · about an hour ago
I can understand giving the show a negative review (even though I personally loved it). But to call it worse than the Circus Tour when her dancing was better and she actually sang live is just stupid. And to pretend like the crowd wasn't into it is delusional. We were so loud that she had to tell us to be quiet at one point!
The delusional britney stans in the comments thinking theyre doing brit justice
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Already Reported
#Oops...
EDIT: Speaking of justice, I wish Brit sue this writer's ass and suck his pockets dry for every penny he has, although brit being the kind person she is, I doubt she'd even bother...
