Review: Britney's Circus

Britney Spears's Circus (Madison Square Garden, 8/26) was nothing short of amazing. It was a true production, pure entertainment from beginning to end. The show started with opening acts Kristinia Debarge, some boy band whose name I don't remember, and American Idol's Jordin Sparks. Sparks was fantastic live, a great way to get the crowd started. After she left, there was a 20 minutes intermission complete with countdown on the big screen. The tension and excitement of the crowd built quickly. Even I was on my feet screaming and clapping and counting down. And then this video came on:

The Garden filled with screams, we were all jumping, the energy of the crowd was so intense. The Circus began with a few acts, including acrobats, and even what some might call freakshows. Britney opened her show with the hit single "Circus" and the crowd went absolutely wild (myself included). There were numerous costume changes, and though the show went a bit dull halfway through, Britney picked up the pace with "Toxic" and her first hit single, "Baby One More Time."

Though her most recent album was "Circus," Spears performed a lot of songs from her previous album, "Blackout." If you remember, "Blackout" was released around the time Britney shaved her head, went crazy, and did a stint in rehab. There were a lot of great songs on the album, though I would have preferred to hear more from "Circus."

This is the official setlist, as posted on BritneySpears.com:

CIRCUS

Perez/Parade Intro

Circus (Funky Remix)

Piece of Me

Thunderstorm Segue

Radar

HOUSE OF FUN (Anything Goes)

Martial Arts Segue

Ooh Ooh Baby/Hot as Ice

Boys

If U Seek Amy

Me Against the Music (Bollywood)

FREAKSHOW/PEEPSHOW

Everybody's Looking for Something Segue

Freakshow

Get Naked

Britney's Hotline

Breathe on Me/Touch of My Hand

ELECTRO CIRC

Break the Ice Segue

Do Something

Slave

Dancer Solo Segue/Heartbeat Segue

Toxic

Baby One More Time (Remix)

ENCORE

Womanizer (Extended Remix)

Circus Reprise: The Bow

Despite the lull in the middle/toward the end of the show, the entire thing was an overwhelming, exciting night of entertainment. Britney definitely lip-sang the entire thing, but the dancing (especially the backup dancers) were out of this world and I didn't even care. It was pop music, and it was wonderful.

Check out these great fan photos uploaded to the Britney Spears tour website from the 8/26 MSG concert: