InsideBayArea.com
By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 01/04/2009 01:00:00 AM PST
'THERE'S ONLY two types of people in the world," Britney Spears sings on the title track of her new album, "Circus." "The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe."
She continues on to tell us which group she belongs to "I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl" as if it were something we didn't already know.
Ever since she made her recording debut, with 1999's ... Baby One More Time," Spears has been putting on a show for the world. It's been satisfying at some turns, highly perplexing at others, but Spears has never failed to be entertaining. And the general public just keeps right on observing.
That should continue with the highly anticipated "The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 Tour," which touches down April 11 at Arco Arena in Sacramento and April 12 at HP Pavilion in San Jose. All eyes will be watching to see if this road show the vocalist's first arena tour in five years can restore some luster to the tarnished star.
It might seem odd to call this a comeback tour, because Spears still ranks as among the most highly visible celebrities in America. Yet, what she's been famous for in recent years has had far more to do with her personal problems than her musical output. In that sense, Spears definitely needs a comeback to establish her place among Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani in the pop-diva hierarchy.
Spears last two CDs the recently released "Circus" and last year's "Blackout" are both pretty good works, full of arena-friendly dance tracks. Combine that with her earlier output, including such hits as "Toxic" and "Oops! "... I Did It Again," and Spears should be able to put together a winning set of music.
Plus, Spears has proved in the past to be a very entertaining live performer. At her best (2001-02's "Dream Within a Dream Tour"), Spears was able to deliver an absolute concert spectacular, a 90-minute thrill ride that was the pop-music equivalent of watching "Jurassic Park" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark." We truly hope she rises to the challenge again, and makes this comeback count with her two Northern California shows.
Details: 8 p.m. April 11, Arco Arena, Sacramento; 7 p.m., April 12, HP Pavilion, San Jose; $36.50-$150, 925-685-8497, 415-421-8497, 510-625-8497, www.ticketmaster.com.
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