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The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American singer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, ''Circus'' (2008). Rumors of a tour arose as early as October 2007, after Spears released her fifth studio album ''Blackout''; however, it was cancelled due to unknown reasons. The tour was officially announced in December 2008, with dates for American and British venues revealed. The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. Magician Ed Alonzo joined Spears during the second act. The setlist was composed generally from her albums ''In the Zone'', ''Blackout'' and ''Circus''. Spears announced she would tour Australia for the first time in June 2009. The Circus Starring Britney Spears was described as a "pop extravaganza". It was divided into five segments. ''The Circus'' featured a metamorphosis of Spears from as a ringmaster to a slave, while being surrounded by different performers. ''House of Fun (Anything Goes)'' displayed a series of upbeat numbers with different themes, including magic and military. It ended with a Bollywood-inspired performance and a ballad in which Spears performed while floating on a giant umbrella. ''Freakshow/Peepshow'' featured a video interlude set to heavy metal music, and continued with dark and sexual performances. ''Electro Circ'' displayed energetic dance routines, and the encore consisted of a video montage of Spears's music videos and a police-themed performance. Some changes were made to the show throughout the tour. Several songs were remixed; Spears also performed "Mannequin" in selected European shows and covers of Duffy and Alanis Morissette songs on some North American dates. The Circus Starring Britney Spears generated positive to mixed reception from critics. While some praised its aesthetics and deemed it as an entertaining show, others criticized Spears' lack of involvement during some segments. The tour was a commercial success, with a total gross of $131.8 million. A great number of tickets were sold within a week of the tour's announcement, which prompted supporters to add more dates. The tour also broke attendance records in many cities and all the North American shows were sold out. It became the fifth highest grossing tour of 2009, and the sixth highest grossing tour ever by a female artist. The show generated controversy on the Australian leg after a reporter said that a great number of fans had walked out during the performances. ==Background== On September 9, 2007, Spears performed "Gimme More", the lead single from her fifth studio album ''Blackout'' (2007) at the MTV Video Music Awards. Her last live performance had been during The M+M's Tour in May of the same year. Her singing, her dancing and even her wardrobe were all commented on extensively, and it was considered hurtful for her career. In October 2007, it was reported that Spears was planning to go on tour to promote the album and was holding open dance auditions, but this was later denied by Jive Records. In February 2008, similar reports surfaced that Spears had already rehearsed in private for a month at Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles, California, and would be leaving to Europe during the following weeks for a worldwide tour. However, it was finally cancelled due to unknown reasons. In September 2008, after New York City radio station Z100 premiered her single "Womanizer", Spears made a surprise appearance on the show and announced she would be going on a worldwide tour during 2009 to support her sixth studio album, ''Circus'' (2008). The concert promoter was AEG Live. Former director of the tour, Australian choreographer Wade Robson, said that the tour would visit the United States, the United Kingdom, and would also reach Australia. After her live performances on ''Good Morning America'' on December 2, 2008, Spears officially announced a first leg of twenty-five dates in the US and two dates in the UK, with the tour launching on March 3, 2009, in New Orleans. The Pussycat Dolls were selected in October 2008 as the opening act of the first North American leg. Spears's manager Larry Rudolph claimed that the show would "blow people's minds and promises to show Britney's fans something they will never forget." He later added, "she goes full-speed the whole show – about an hour and a half. It's pretty intense. This is a full-blown, full-out Britney Spears show. It is a pop extravaganza. It is everything everybody expects from her — and more!" On April 28, 2009, eight European dates were added. The following day, four more dates were announced in Russia, Poland and Germany. On June 9, 2009, Spears announced that she would tour Australia for the first time in November. Six dates were initially announced. Spears stated, "I've wanted to tour Australia for quite some time and now it's finally happening. My Circus tour is the best show I have ever created and I can't wait to perform it for all of my Australian fans. See you guys soon!" The following day, it was announced on her official website that she would return to North America for a second leg, visiting twenty cities. The Circus Starring Britney Spears was also rumored to reach South America, however, Spears's manager Adam Leber denied this despite their efforts to do so. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Circus Starring Britney Spears」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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