Britney Spears Circus; Orlando

I’ve only been to two concerts in my life. The first was last Thanksgiving where I saw Tina Turner in Newark, NJ. My parents wanted to see her and offered to pay for my ticket. For a free ticket, I’ll see Tina. It was her 69th birthday and if I can shimmy and shake like that at half her age I’ll be happy.

The second concert I’ve ever seen was this past Tuesday night – also for free; The Circus Starring Britney Spears. Thanks to my friends, I was graciously invited to see the show at no charge. It was one of those friend of a friend of a friend can get free tickets deal.

We arrived about an hour before showtime and took a walk around the Amway Arena where she was performing. I happened to walk past a billboard that made me think twice. I posted it on twitter, but thought it was worthwhile enough to post again.

Here are my problems with this sign. First of all. What legendary service do these employees provide? Because quite frankly, I didn’t see anything that was spectacular. The ticket taker took my ticket, the usher showed me to my seat and the program salesperson yelled too loud.

Secondly, did you notice how many employees were recognized for delivering service? If EVERYONE delivers that great of service, how do you challenge people to deliver even more?

Finally, let’s make a big assumption that every employee did deliver great service. What kind of message does this bulletin board convey about how much the organization values the employee? A messy, sloppy posting on bent paper that looks like it was tacked up after drama club tryouts. How embarrasing.

I encountered other shocking sights too. Like a $150 Britney Jogging Suit.

Sorry Britney, but you’re not worth that OR the $40 T-shirt. Oh, and that goes for you too Jordin Sparks. Speaking of Jordin, let’s talk about the opening acts. First up was Kristinia DeBarge. Who? That’s what I said too. She sings the song on the radio that goes, “na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye”. Riiiiight. You didn’t miss much except for her ugly blue leggings.

Next up was this new group called One Call. One song was enough from them. They are a new boy band that appeared as though they were recruited from Ms. Janice’s Dance Studio at the shopping mall. It was horrible. Jordin Sparks from American Idol closed the opening acts. Not impressed. Moving on…

Britney had a 20-minute break before she would start. It was time for a final bathroom break. The arena corridors were jammed with ladies trying to use the bathroom.

The men’s room was, as usual, a walk-in. As I’m minding my own business at the urinal a group of smart ladies walk into the men’s room and enter the stalls. Why wait in that ridiculously long line for the ladies room when you can walk right into the men’s room, right? They had nothing to fear either, I don’t think any of the men in the bathroom gave them a second look.

The main event was about to start. Above the center ring was a countdown clock. As each minute passed the crowd would erupt in cheers.

At the moment the clock struck 0:00 the arena erupted in applause as the music grew louder, the lights darker and the show started. A variety of circus acts kicked off the show. Clowns, trampoline acts and martial arts performers.

Photo Courtesy of britneyspears.com

The martial arts performers were the best. Enough said.

Britney appeared from the ceiling with all the pomp and circumstance of a vegas spectacle. There was glitter, smoke, lights, fire, fireworks, elaborate staging and theatrics. I went there knowing she wasn’t going to actually sing. And of course she didn’t. But realistically, how can you expect someone to when they are dancing non-stop?

Britney looked good. I don’t care about celebrity’s lives, especially Britney’s, but it was refreshing to see her take back some control of her life. She had energy, smiled and enjoyed being on-stage. I was also impressed with the simple fact that an individual has enough celebrity to draw a crowd of thousands. What is she doing to make that happen?

I write this blog six days a week and have assumed a small following of readers. I’d like that number to increase each day into the thousands. So it was admirable to see someone accomplish such a lofty goal.

Congratulations to Britney. She delivered a superb stage show. Great music to dance to, lots to see visually and an overall great night. Now, I’m off to the gym to tone up!