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Hey Guys, this place needs more topic and photo, so i decided to copy my pom experience a writed a couple days ago on that betrayed forum we used to gom hope you guys like it! last january i decided to go to vegas in may for the last show, i live in Québec, Canada, so getting to vegas is quitted a journey, i flew on thursday the 15 and got to vegas in the night, i was staying at the excalibur on the strip, right when i arrived i decided to go see around, i walked to the planet Hollywood our should i say, Godney-land! Britney is everywhere, on the sign outside, music video playing from everywhere and its not stopping when you walk in, brit is on casino table, poster on the wall, the infamous elevator, EVERY-WHERE i was in paradise, i walked to the axis and i could see trough the window the work bitch outfit, i was beyond excited, i finally went to bed to Wake up the day after and telling myself i was going to see my queen show on the night, the day took forever, it was the 16th may concert, i went to vegas with my friend and make them come to see piece of me, they are 3 non-fan, never own a Britney album but know how much i loved her so they came with me, we were seated in the 206 section. row D, and it was fine to be a bit further since i was going to the concert on the general admission the day after, back to the 16th concert, i made my way trough the axis, took pics with the costume on display, we seated waiting for the show to start, i was soooo excited! like crazy, the girls who sat on my right was also on exhalers i dont know her name but she was wearing only a bra and her underwear with the rabit coat, her recreation of the do somethin video was fucking awesome! she was smoking hot!, the concert started and i was so in to it, i danced my life out and sing every word of every song, i could not care less about all the boring people around us, i screamed loud, i sang, i danced, and i was having the best time, i did not take much picture because i was too far anyway and i wanted to absorb the whole concert, when the concert ended i was so wet, but i had so much fun, and the great news, my 3 non-fans friends also had a lot of fun! but at this point i was just excited for the concert of the day after where i will be so close to my queen, and that day finally arrived, i got to the axis at about 4h30, and they were already maybe 25 peoples waiting in line outside the venue, i got in line, by myself and was kind of shy for starting talking to people, a guy in front of me introduce him, he was from miami and was not even on the GA he just decided to get there early to meet all kind of Britney stan, he was really nice, at one point i was talking to him he look behind me, and became really excited, he started runing saying heeey jamie lynn, i did'nt see anything at tought he was imagining that he saw her, he came back 2 minutes ago and was in shock, it was not jamie lynn, i was Britney who took the elevator to go downstairs with her bodyguard, i wanted to kill myself for not have following him, he said she walked right by the line of the GA and went to the elevator Inside of the casino, i was so angry at myself!, time was taking forever, the line was getting bigger and longer, i saw felicia coming out of the axis, she was sooo sweet, i know she would have been nice, but so sweet and generous of her time like that, i was so happy, i saw larry getting in and not wanted to talk to anybody, i saw Willie gomez and an other dancer, i took pics with them, and then, CHASE came out of the axis, i jump right to him, i introduce myself and i tell him he's my all time favorite dancer from Britney and that brit always seems so comfortable with him i told him to take care of our queen and he accepted to take a picture with me, i was beyond excited and the show was not even started!, the doors finally open at 7h:30, if i can give you a tip, as soon as you see people started taking different way for the metal detector you should pick the less crowded one and run trough hit, the girls scan my ticket and told me to go all the way t'ill the end of the wall where they have the entry for the GA-Right, i runed to the very end and i realised i was second in line! o my god, i was so happy, i did it! i was so ready to be front row, even tought they were people in front of me in the original line they take more time for the metal detector and scanning their ticket cause i pass them! they let us get in at 8h:00 a guy walk us all the way to the general admission section, when i was in they were 3 people there, i still got the exact spot i wanted, on the front, by the corner of the catwalk, my tweet when on the screen, the anticipation was crazy and was killing me! the show finally started at 9:15, and Britney came from her giant ball, i was not believing how close i was, eveyrhing was huge, the stage was enourmous and everything was so close to me, it made me cry of happyness when i saw her that close, i saw the circus on the GA but its been so long and i was far both time i went to femme fatale, it was Worth every penny to be that close of the queen in vegas, she seems really in to it from the first song, i also cried in everytime, seing her face at that moment and thinking about what she was refering too when she wrote it had all my body shaking of emotion, i was really into the concert but i was so absorb by Britney that i did'nt dance and sang as much as first night, i just was not capable to take my eyes away from her! however i did take some pictures and some video that i will share with you, pleased if you used my photo just keep the credit to me, i wont tag them cause i think its just lame and take away the beauty of the photos, the show was amazing, i had the time of my life, at the end i was feeling so empty, i was so scared that this was the last time i might saw her, but im already planning on going back to vegas next year, after the concert i stayed there for a moment, just to see the venu empty, see the staged getting all the props removed because it was the last show until agust, i walked up to the vip and i ask Jamie if i could have a picture with him, he agreed, and was very nice to me, i told him where im front and he mention he really like the cora, a breakfast restaurant from the city im from, i ask him what Britney was doing this summer and he laughed and said, she really dosn't want me to plan her Schedule for her vacation, i wished him a good night and he shake my hand, i was really happy! here's are some of my photo and video, i'm really happy with them! please dont be mean, hope you like to read my vegas experienced! one things i forgot to mention, Edan was in front of me the whole concert and he keep texting troughout the concert and my talking to somenone called lawrence, i know he received a photo by sms of a fan on the front of the femme fatale tour wall picture and was looking for him in the audience, i realise that protectring britney is an everyday job! he was kinda hot also!

WATCH: Britney Spears’ Vegas Show Proves She’s Ready to Work She's back! Britney Spears’ return to the stage Friday was nothing short of a spectacle. The acrobatic, fiery 90-minute show, Britney: Piece of Me, featured not only the pop icon showcasing her catalogue of No. 1 hits, but also an overexcited Miley Cyrus making out with a backup dancer. So who cares if Britney doesn’t actually sing during her show? What she gives in pumped-up dance moves and dazzling costume changes is a huge leap forward from her disastrous going-through-the-motions 2007 VMA performance. Spears will perform 50 shows per year at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas through 2015. Watch the best videos captured from her show: Britney shimmies and points with the best of them. Welcome back, Britney. Read more: Watch Best Video Moments from Britney Spears' Las Vegas Show | TIME.com http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/29/watch-britney-spears-work-it-out-in-vegas/#ixzz2oudMsdNl

Britney Spears’ sneak peek performance of “Britney: Piece of Me†at The Axis in Planet Hollywood on Thursday night ahead of tonight’s star-studded grand opening dazzled and wowed at least one high roller at the “lion’s den†show. “Britney was 100 percent happy with last night’s final preview; it was way more than incredible,†one senior member of Britney’s insider circle told me this morning.I’m reliably told that he asked to book out the center VIP table, which is $10,000 to $25,000 per night for the run of her show. “She was very enthusiastic about how the show went. She was full of confidence. She enjoyed every moment of the show. Things can be a real mess even the night before an official opening premiere. “Everything could go wrong — and has — but this was flawless. She was overjoyed with the production and her performance. She talked about it nonstop for 10 minutes coming off the stage. “Britney loved having a real audience, and it’s incredible for those sitting in the front tables because she gets right up to their tables. Nobody has ever done that before in a show. “They could tell there that her mic is live through the entire show, and she sings on every song.†Hotel kingpin George Maloof added: “I’ve seen shows the past 25 years in Las Vegas, and this is the most revolutionary show I’ve ever seen.†Official star confirmations for tonight’s premiere include Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Sia, Serena Williams, Mario Lopez, DJ Pauly D, Adam Lambert, Selena Gomez and Mel B of The Spice Girls. I’ve learned that it will probably come down to either Mario or Adam being lured onstage for the dominatrix routine! Be sure to check out our Britney news in today’s Weekend Celebrity Preview, and our thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for these sneak preview photos of “Britney: Piece of Me.†Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground. Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0LNjA_JOOU

Pop princess Britney Spears proved that she’s still reigning royalty in the music world when she kicked off her two-year “Britney: Piece of Me†residency Friday night in the new Axis Theater at Planet Hollywood. For 100 sizzling and satisfying minutes, Britney fired off a barrage of 24 nonstop hits and new songs from her eight platinum albums, danced up an athletic storm and had the 4,600-seat audience on its feet, including a galaxy of stars cheering her on, among them Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Sia, Selena Gomez, Mel B, Serena Williams, Adam Lambert, Kellan Lutz, DJ Pauly D and Mario Lopez. In Miley’s case, she went “crazy for Britney†with her own dance-along, twerk-along, grind-along, sing-along and scream-along hi-jinks. Britney’s mother, father, sister, two sons and new boyfriend David Lucado also were in the VIP booth area alongside the stars. It was an amazing and incredible accomplishment because in less than two hours, Britney changed the look of our Strip entertainment scene. For the first time, she single-handedly brought the spectacle of a touring arena show into a nightclub-like theater and pulled off the gamble with a flawless performance. It was the ultimate Las Vegas spectacular of an over-the-top EDM fest with the marriage of massive music videos to the look of Cirque du Soleil performers. Add the special effects of pyrotechnics, falling rain, driven snow, thunderclaps and two aerial stunts by Britney, and this was a visual feast of the senses. The video walls for the ornate, richly crafted “Circus†set were incredible; nothing like it has ever been seen before. To shrieks and cheers, Britney arrived in eye-popping fashion — and departed suspended in a golden circular cage. But when she lowered from the ceiling as a snow angel with giant white wings among falling flakes for “Everytime†and “Baby One More Time,†the exuberant emotions were muted in respected wonder. However, it was her near-finale bungee leap 30 feet from the mobile Tree of Life through a curtain of rain that really supercharged the audience. That wasn’t the only rip-roaring action. She performed inside a ring of fire, high-kicked her way across the 100-foot stage and sang close up to VIP booths at the edge of the anchor-shaped stage that surrounded two general-admission mosh pits. I don’t think I have ever seen in my life more cell-phone cameras flashing like the lasers of the enormous projection walls taking photos and videos. The 32-year-old mother of two, looking in tremendous physical shape, proved naysayers wrong by looking as fresh after the performance as she did to start it. The sexy gym set using a parallel bar and triangular cages was a choreographed precision workout in its own right. Fit as a fiddle doesn’t even begin to do her aerobics justice because she was onstage running, jumping, dancing, somersaulting and flying the entire time, save a few minutes for her seven costume and three wig changes, including a glow-in-the-dark sheer leotard and a laced-up spike bustier. She hasn’t looked this hot in ages and certainly doesn’t need cosmetic makeup for her body, as critics claim, and our spectacular stage photos by Denise Truscello and David Becker of WireImage prove it. It’s incredible that the sound booth engineers leave her mic on during the show. You can hear her breathing and gasping for air. Yes, there are backup tracks when she’s going through the physically grueling portions of a routine, but that’s Britney singing purely solo in her intimate moments, such as during “Perfume†with her four-piece backing band. She opens the night in a skin-tight, white-sequined bodysuit for “Work Bitch,†both from her new album “Britney Jean.†Director Baz Halprin told me post-show: “I have never seen a modern pop artist so disciplined and dedicated to achieving the best. There’s no doubt that she is a perfectionist. She worked every day the last four months without break or rest to deliver that perfection. “We set out to change what a Las Vegas stage show could look like, and she has certainly succeeded. That was our mission — to have something completely different — and she accomplished that. You can see with what she achieved tonight just how hard she worked for this success. “I have directed many shows, and this is both the hardest and greatest dancing show of them all. She’s now leading the charge for younger pop artists to take up new-look residency shows in Las Vegas. It’s a revolution, and she’ll get the credit for it.†Britney even sings “I Wanna Go†with six self-image holograms in one boxed mirrors segment, and her 14 spandex-strong ninja army of military precision dancers — sometimes masked — spin in circular spheres as flames rage. It’s a constant-motion dance marathon amid lavish sets that boggles the mind! “Simply amazing,†a number of Las Vegas dancers told me. Will.I.Am, Britney’s video co-star from “Scream and Shout,†makes an appearance via new video. During “Get Naked,†Miley was seen grinding and giving face time to the dancers who ran through the theater, startling some of the audience. Miley was so into the crazy of it, I thought she was going to be dragged up onstage for some twerking. However, after “I’m a Slave 4 U,†it was nearby booth mate Mario Lopez from “Extra†who wound up onstage for “Freakshow†as Britney went looking “for a hottie†for the saucy, lingerie S&M number. It could have been Adam, but she chose Mario, had him cuffed and chained into a harness and led him on all fours on her leash to crawl the stage. Afterward, Mario told me: “That was a lot of fun and totally unexpected. I didn’t have a clue what was going to happen to me. I hope it all looked OK for the fun of it.†The platinum production reached fever pitch with “Toxic,†“ Stronger†and “(You Drive Me) Crazy†as Britney flew in the air for the finale. For the encore of “Till the World Ends,†rain poured down over her dancers as she went airborne again, exiting in her circular golden cage. Everybody I asked on the way out used one word to describe the show: “Amazing!†Pauly D told me, “Amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it.†It truly was an amazing production with amazing choreography and amazing video projections — and Britney herself was amazing. I loved the fact that here was Britney performing in the presence of Miley, Katy and Selena almost as their teacher and mentor who blazed the path to make their own careers so phenomenal. If I had any constructive comment, it would be to slightly lessen her dancing overload and chat a little more with the audience to improve the close-up intimacy. Moments after the show, Britney summed it up best herself via Twitter: “Wow! That was amazing! The perfect audience for the first show. I love you, Vegas!†Britney is set for 100 shows, 50 each year through 2015, at the Axis at Planet Hollywood. This first run continues into February, and tickets are already on sale for the April-through-September shows. Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground. Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Britney Spears Pours On 'Cheese' (And Glitter) For 'Piece Of Me' Las Vegas Kickoff The entertainer wows with a rapid-fire collection of her greatest hits, including 'Work Bitch,' 'Toxic' and 'Baby One More Time.' LAS VEGAS True to her word, Britney Spears poured on the cheese during opening night of her "Piece of Me" Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood, where she raced through a whopping 23 hit singles in just 90 minutes. "Cheesy is good," Brit said in her E! documentary, which aired Sunday night and chronicled the development and rehearsals of the show. "Extra cheese and simplicity." We're not so sure about the "simple" part of that. Spears delivered on her signature style of larger-than-life production, blaring beats and rapid-fire dance moves, whirling through seven costume changes and even a couple of wig changes. Spears donned her signature curly blonde bob for "Circus," but pulled out a sleek, brunette hairdo for "...Baby One More Time." Kicking things off with "Work Bitch," Spears set the tone for the high-octane event early. If you weren't on your feet dancing on your own accord, she was going to make you. Several times she teased the audience: "I can't hear you," and the 7,000-seat auditorium obliged her every whim. For the nostalgic Britney fan, rejoice in the fact that "Piece of Me" is more of a look backwards than forwards. During "Gimme More," Spears appeared to recycle a great deal of choreography from her 2007 Video Music Awards performance. And on "Circus," she offered basically a live rendition of her Francis Lawernce-directed music video. For "Everytime," she was held high above the stage on a set of wings -- a move reminiscent of her "Oops!... I Did It Again" Tour (for those of us who are old enough to have been there... and who will remain nameless). There was chair dancing to boot, but sadly not during "Stronger." There was plenty of new glitz and glamour to keep things "fresh," as Brit likes to say. Not only did we see waterworks during "Toxic" (and the epic tree swing, as already seen on TV), but also during "Slave 4 U." Spears joked to the audience, "I got so wet! Thank you." Though she opted to cutBritney Jean's "Alien" from the set list this time around, Spears did offer up a heartfelt rendition of her latest single, "Perfume." It was one of only a few moments that the pop icon found herself alone on that stage (she also performed "Lucky" solo), and ultimately it felt like a missed opportunity. Where Spears could have poured her soul into the song, without dancing or pyrotechnics to distract, the sound didn't stray far from what we've heard on her album. That's not to say her vocals weren't live. At times, her sweet voice shone through the backing, or we could hear her catching her breath between numbers. Other times, we'd watch her run up a set of stairs while her voice didn't miss a beat. Katy Perry, DJ Pauly D and Miley Cyrus were among the famous faces in the crowd (make that VIP section) on Friday, and Miley even got in on some of the show's action. One of Spears' dancers singled the "Wrecking Ball" singer out of the crowd during a set transition, and the two got a little touchy-feely at the edge of the runway. But the biggest VIP of them all was Mario Lopez, whom Spears handpicked out of the crowd to join her on stage for "Freak Show." The "Extra" host was a great sport about it (um, who wouldn't be?) when Spears' dancers dressed him head-to-toe in leather bondage gear and demanded that he crawl on all fours across the stage. Will.i.am was also on hand —only digitally #8212 for a brief snippet of "Scream and Shout," appearing on a larger-than-life jumbotron as dancers flitted in front of him. Spears, for her part, was absent during this bit, but quickly emerged donning a brightly colored neon getup and launching into a crowd-pleasing rendition of "Boys." (Pharrell Williams was not involved in the set, but his vocals were played as she performed.) If you're looking for a powerhouse vocal performance in your Vegas entertainment, head over to The Coliseum for Celine Dion. (lol no. Celine Dion lipsynchs. Want receipts?) But Britney fans will find no better show on the strip than "Piece of Me." What ultimately felt like a greatest hits marathon — with plenty of glitter on top — is sure to please the die-hards, and even those who have never shelled out money for a Spears album are likely find themselves singing right along. Let's be real: who hasn't heard of "Toxic"? http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1719668/britney-spears-las-vegas-piece-of-me-opening-night.jhtml

Britney Spears' 'Piece of Me' changes residency tune Britney Spears' new Vegas show, 'Piece of Me,' brings the club scene to a 7,000-seat theater LAS VEGAS - In 90 energy-packed minutes Friday,Britney Spears rewrote the Las Vegas residency playbook. Where the Elvis-pioneered tradition has long limited itself to, let's just say, more mature artists with decades of hits to their names, Spears, 32, stomped into town with a 21-hit salute to her 15 years of dance confections the artfully melded spectacle with stagecraft. Spears' mission in a nutshell: to turn a cavernous 7,000-seat amphitheater into a raging nightclub. Mission accomplished. Only during the show's three slower songs - which included the poignant Perfume- did the sell-out crowd bother to take its seats. Britney: Piece of Me, which will run for 98 shows over two years at Planet Hollywood's The Axistheater here, made its intentions clear from its opening number, the infectious will.i.am-produced hit, Work Bitch. Floating down to her office - a massive 100-foot-wide stage flanked by panels that displayed images from 60 projectors - in a huge steel sphere, Spears quickly strutted to the front of a phalanx of 16 alien-masked dancers and led them through an intense workout in front of family (sis, brother, mom and dad) and famous friends (Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Selena Gomez). From there on it was non-stop club tracks anchored to exquisite sets and dazzling choreography. One could almost make the argument that this show might entertain a non-Britney fan thanks to its production values, which is likely not the case with other residencies - if you don't like Elton John, not even a $10 million piano would keep you seated for his Vegas hit parade. Case is point was Toxic, which started with the sound of thunder as the dance troupe wriggled on the ground like extras from Avatar. Moments later, in rolled a massive tree with the show's star perched high in a branch. She suddenly jumped off into space, ripping a page from Cirque du Soleil. And the hits kept coming, including Oops...I Did It Again (cue Britney in a brassy dark wig and lingerie), Scream and Shout (with a two-story video image of will.i.am singing along), and Freakshow (which subjected TV host Mario Lopez to a few minutes of S&M). Eye-candy was everywhere, whether in the form of the taut dancers' bodies or the lavish sets, none more so than the Circus-themed number featuring creepy human marionettes and raging flames, with Spears delivered on stage in the middle of a ring of fire. When she sang "All eyes on me at the center of ring," it was redundant. If a criticism must be meted out, it would center on Spears' insistence that well-oiled show not deviate remotely from its tracks. What little she did engage with the crowd ("How are you doin' Las Vegas?") stuck to the same script as Thursday's preview show before casino industry workers. One longed for a bit more intimacy from Spears, especially on opening night with stars on hand. But if the singer has been consistent on one point over the years it's that she is actually by nature shy. As for the oft-raised specter of lip-syncing, it's truly impossible to gauge whether there was any funny business with the vocals. For starters, these club-oriented tunes all require such different effects that surely her voice had to be run through computers to get the right tone so it corresponded to what was recorded in the studio. What's more though, with a performance this heavily focused on athleticism, asking a singer to deliver pitch-perfect vocals with no digital assistance is a bit like asking an NFL running back to run for 10 yards while carrying a tune - all game long. This wasn't Ella Fitzgerald with a pianist folks, it was a pop star bringing to life the songs we crank up in the shower or at the gym. It was about the wonderfully raunchy sizzle of it all, not a virgin vocal. Odds are Piece of Me will prove a good bet for Vegas and Spears alike. The former gets another hip young dance-oriented star to add to its growing stable of popular EDM heroes; DJs Tiesto, David Guetta and Calvin Harris all are performing here this week. And the latter gets a chance to remind people just why much of the 2000s belonged to her. Before there was Katy, there was Britney. In fact, listening to some of the more empowering songs that helped close the show, including Stronger and Till The End of the World, one had to acknowledge that all three pop divas in the audience this night owed a huge debt to the mother of two on stage. She may not be the 18-year-old girl next door who shocked the world silly, but she's still a force to be reckoned with. As her rendition of I'm A Slave 4 U raced to a close, Spears cocked her head as the spotlight lit up her hair. Pause. "You like that?" Spotlight off. One giant audience roar. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/12/28/britney-spears-piece-of-me-debut/4220807/

It was a non-stop hits bonanza at the opening night of Britney Spears' "Britney: Piece of Me" show in Las Vegas on Friday night (Dec. 27). Spears' 24-song concert was the first of a planned 100 shows over the course of the next two years at the recently revamped AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The 90-minute show boasts a "flying" Spears, a massive rotating tree, pyrotechnics, rain, fire and an army of limber dancers. The all-hits revue stands in contrast to Spears' previous stage spectacles, which featured more album cuts and lesser-known new songs. Her last tour, 2011's "Femme Fatale" trek, featured a heavy number of tunes (including non-singles) from her then-new album "Femme Fatale." However, the "Britney: Piece of Me" show was designed as a hits retrospective, and it only includes two new songs which are featured on her new album, "Britney Jean": "Work Bitch" and "Perfume." Spears opened the show with "Work Bitch," descending from the sky in a globe-like cage. Dressed in a skin-tight, sequined bodysuit -- reminiscent of the barely-there outfit she wore in the "Toxic" music video -- she strutted around on stage, and also did some of the choreography from the "Work" video. (Yes, including that one part where she's down on the ground and doing a bicycle-pedal thing with her legs.) Spears was particularly energetic in the number, which seemed to delight the crowd. Among the celebrities in the audience: Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert and Sia. "Womanizer" was up next -- and its bass was so loud, the sound was distorted at points. Spears was joined by her dancers again -- who were clad in head-to-toe spandex and odd masks. Think: modified SWAT team. A highlight of the performance was Spears walking on her dancers backs, a sight that drew big cheers from the audience. Clearly, they like a diva in charge. A short "What's up Vegas!" greeting from Spears followed, along with her saying how it was "wonderful" to be here. It was only a quick hello, though, as the show then shot into her No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single "3." Spears then jumped into a triangular cage and was wheeled around by her dancers across the stage. (It immediately brought to mind how she was carted to-and-fro in cages during her 2009 "Circus" tour.) "3" was heavy on choreography borrowed from the sexy music video, thanks to a parallel bar that dropped out of the sky. It then served as the sexiest jungle gym in Vegas, as Spears and her dancers undulated their way across and around the bar. There was an odd sound stuttery glitch in the audio at the end of the song, but it was difficult to tell if it was part of the show, or, if it was an actual malfunction. An interlude followed, and soon, Spears was back, descending from the heavens as a giant, white-winged angel, for the ballad "Everytime." After a snow shower of confetti, perhaps the "snow" that she's been mentioning to press, the song transitioned into "Baby One More Time." Spears segued from light to dark, making a concealed costume change behind her dancers, transforming from a blond angel into a brunette vixen for "Baby." Her army of dancers kicked their way through the number with her, clad in ninja-like ensembles. After a shower of pyrotechnics, the track morphed into "Oops!…I Did It Again." The latter song got a longer treatment from Spears, compared to the shortened "Baby." A tepid video-driven interlude was up next, where a series of TV monitors were projected on the walls of the theater, taking us through Spears' many hit music videos. Meanwhile, the stage itself was completely dark and static. Next was "Me Against the Music," which had notably new live instrumentation from Spears' four-piece band. Spears, in a studded bustier and black leggings, recreated the "Me Against the Music" video, complete with the rickety wooden-slat walls. Madonna, who was originally featured on this song, had her vocals cut out of the tune, and her verse was replaced in favor of a dance break. Notably, "Me Against the Music" was one of the few songs during the show where hints of Spears' live vocals were audible. (Though, she was still singing over the original studio vocals of "Me Against the Music.") The vast majority of the show was lip-synced, and only occasionally were any seemingly live vocals heard. There was a certain thrill in actually hearing Spears breathing into the microphone -- however infrequent. Spears had a moment of Vegas redemption in her next number: "Gimme More." Years after she infamously first performed the song at the Vegas-based 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, she was back for... "More." While the VMA performance was generally considered a disaster -- with Spears' sleepwalker-like dance moves and deer-caught-in-headlights reactions -- her 2013 rendition was comparably a big win. It was a short revisit to the "Gimme More" past, as the song shuffled into a brief bit of "Break the Ice," followed by "Piece of Me." For the latter cut, Spears' dancers boot-scooted around on stage in cowboy-and-cowgirl inspired plaid and denim outfits. Up next was an interlude set to "Scream & Shout," with new performance video shot by Spears' co-star on the song, will.i.am. The song served mostly as a showcase for her dancers, who were cavorting in day-glo human-sized hamster wheels. Spears herself doesn't appear on stage for "Scream" until the tail end of the song, when it blends into her hit "Boys." Spears told the crowd she wanted to slow things down, and she was going to do a song off her new album, "Britney Jean": "Perfume." The staging of this particular number could not have been more simple: Spears sat on a stool and… that's it. It would seem that this is a performance that could easily be switched out for something else at a later date. In her recent E! documentary about the "Piece of Me" show, Spears and her production team indicated that the show's setlist could change over time. Miley Cyrus became a surprise part of the show during the "Get Naked" interlude, when a couple of Spears' dancers slinked their way down the catwalk towards the audience. One of the female dancers got in close to Cyrus, who was standing directly in front of the stage. Cyrus was game, and, with drink in hand, playfully stroked the dancer's face. Everyone in the audience that could see Cyrus quickly lost their marbles, probably wondering if Cyrus was going to crawl on stage and join the show; unfortunately, she didn't. Spears soon emerged on a throne-like contraption -- equipped with water features and fountains -- for "I'm A Slave 4 U." It was an aqua orgy of dancers in masks and tiny, tight shorts, while wet hair whipped back and forth. Spears laughed to the audience after the song, telling them "I got so wet!" It was "time to find a hottie" (Spears' words) in "Freakshow," as her female dancers plucked an unsuspecting male audience member from the crowd to drag on stage. Of course, since it was opening night, this was no ordinary audience member -- instead, it was TV host Mario Lopez. He was a good sport, and went along with Spears' dancers, who outfitted him in a harness and made him crawl around. Spears herself amusingly whipped Lopez -- but it was all in cheeky fun. A very loud "Do Somethin'" (with chair choreography) came next, before an elaborate tribute to "Circus" was unveiled. Spears appeared from the back of the stage, in the center of a fiery ring, very much a circus showgirl. A cool rendition of "I Wanna Go" followed, where Spears dances with six mirror images of herself. The mirrors, that are moved around by her dancers, are screens showing pre-recorded performances. After a stark performance of a reworked version of "Lucky," it was time for the big finale, led by a high-flying version of "Toxic." A huge rotating tree materialized from the back of the stage, with Spears atop one of its upper branches. The song reached its peak when Spears flew into the air suspended by wires, and descended down to the stage to join her dancers. It led to remixes of both "Stronger" and "Crazy," the latter of which was positively thumpy. Spears' live vocals were again seemingly audible in "Crazy," as she sung over a recorded track. It was time for Spears to "give it up" for the dancers and the band, though none of them got name-checked personally. But, Spears then asked the crowd: "Do you guys want one more song? I can't hear you!" She didn't wait more than a second before jumping into the final tune of the night, the rain-soaked "Till the World Ends." It ended dramatically with Spears ascending into the back of the stage -- again in her globe-cage -- as her dancers frolicked in the downpour. Spears' "Piece of Me" show next plays Planet Hollywood on Dec. 28, followed by shows on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. It then takes a break until Jan. 29. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5855045/britney-spears-hits-filled-piece-of-me-show-opens-in-las-vegas

By August Brown December 27, 2013, 5:00 a.m. Britney Spears helped usher dance music into the American pop mainstream with propulsive hit singles like "Toxic" and "Till the World Ends." So it's only fair that Las Vegas EDM culture is now returning the favor. Sin City's recent musical revamp — from the home of moribund legacy acts into the planet's most high-rolling DJ haven — has laid the groundwork for Britney's debut residency. The performer's "Piece of Me" kicks off Friday night at Planet Hollywood. It's unparalleled for a contemporary, major Top 40 pop act to embark on a long-term Vegas engagement while they're still on the charts — and on the playlists of people under 35. Britney's new show may prove a game changer, and it probably wouldn't have happened without the ascent of dance music in Vegas. "Without a question," said Kurt Melien of the crucial role EDM played in Britney's crossover to Vegas. Melien is the VP of entertainment of Caesar's, which owns Planet Hollywood. "It's a new Vegas, the capital of the nightlife world, where young audiences come to see Tiesto and Calvin Harris play exclusive residencies. Singles like 'Toxic' and 'Work Bitch' make you want to stand up and dance, and that's the undercurrent of this production." Still, Spears' "Piece of Me" is a gamble on a confluence of pop music and nightlife trends. Since its rollout in September — when Spears announced the residency on "Good Morning America" — the details of the career-spanning show have tested the draw of Spears' stardom and Vegas' ability to get young, EDM-generation fans into a seated theater. Just a few days before the Dec. 27 opening of "Piece of Me," tickets were still available for the opening night, and most nights to come. The economics of a successful Vegas engagement don't necessarily resemble those of a concert tour, with all the hotel, gambling, food and alcohol revenue to bolster ticket sales. But "Piece of Me" still sets an unproven premise for today's younger pop and EDM audiences — that they'll pay for a seated, ticketed concert when the world's busiest nightclubs and biggest DJs are right around the corner. Perhaps no pop artist is a better fit for the task. Spears, a star since the late 1990s, has a deep catalog of chart-toppers at a relatively young age (32). Many of those hits are infused with the club thumps and electronic sizzle of today's dance music, and her stage shows have always relied on visually dazzling production and dancing. Twenty-something audiences grew up alongside Spears' career, from her Max Martin ballads and schoolgirl-Lolita phases on forward. And for those even-younger fans who only know Spears' "Everytime" from the gorgeously sadistic "Spring Breakers" piano scene, "Piece of Me" will have plenty of the electro-pop from her public-meltdown phase to the present. "I'm definitely gonna do the greatest hits," she said on "Good Morning America." "But I'm gonna have to put some of my new material into it, just to keep it fresh." For fans now used to flying to Vegas for Electric Daisy Carnival or for all-night (and all-next-day) revelry at Marquee and XS, the idea of going to Vegas for a sit-down greatest-hits show isn't as weird as it might have been even five years ago. "The average age demo for Vegas tourism has plummeted, from 51 to 46," said Melien, and he thanks the EDM wave for that. "Vegas has always been known for big, glamorous spectacle, and we know [spears] is comfortable in that, while the show appeals to multiple demographics, from the '90s, 2000s and today." While "Piece of Me" does seem like a sonic and demographic stroke of genius, it's a major bet on a star who might have had reasons to look to the neon embrace of Vegas lately. Spears' latest album, "Britney Jean," only clocked in at fourth on the Billboard album charts on its release. At 107,000 copies, it had the weakest opening-week debut sales figures of her entire career (coincidentally, a box set from another recent Vegas resident, Garth Brooks, took the top slot). Her previous album, 2011's "Femme Fatale," did well over twice that at 276,000. Even so, as Las Vegas figures out what to do in the wake of an already-inflated EDM market, contemporary pop shows like Spears' might be one answer. Vegas music today is built on powerhouse legacy-act vocalists (Celine Dion, Elton John) and superstar DJs who, let's just say, could really be doing anything up there behind the mixing desk. "Piece of Me" takes aspects of both — blowout stage shows and proven hit singles — all set to the ephemeral thwack of modern EDM sounds and style. And after all, there's a reason so many top-shelf DJs keep coming back here. "You can do something really creative in the production that you don't have to fold down and pack into 18 trucks at the end of the night," Melien said. "This opens up a lot of opportunities. For someone like Pink or Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, the license to be creative without the stress of a tour would be really compelling." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-britney-spears-vegas-residencies-20131227,0,3979950.story#ixzz2ogtqunaB