As one who was there from the beginning...

[Someone Who Knows]

As someone who has loved Britney since OIDIA came out and was obsessed with her practically non-stop since then, and now is nearing 30 years old, it's so weird and bittersweet to think that the Britney Ride is basically over. With Glory underperforming and Vegas on the verge of being extended again, it's becoming clearer and clearer what her career legacy is going to look like. It's been such an amazing experience and I'm so happy I got to grow up with her career. I'm not really into celebrities in general and I wouldn't have ever gotten into pop at all if it weren't for Britney. It's just weird, getting a little older, realizing -- that's it, it's over, I'll never have an experience like this again, being a super-fan over the course of 15+ years -- but all things considered she's had an amazing career and defied the critics and wowed the fans and kept everyone guessing more times than we can count and my life has been so much better for having gotten to come of age with Britney. It's bittersweet, looking back on the last 17 years of being a super-fan.

Don't really have a point to this thread other than ruminating!

[Kiiddy]

So Britney's working on a new album and will tour... but yet the Britney ride is 'over'    

[britneysslumberparty]

Its weird for me too, and I only experienced a 1/2 of her success from Toxic to now. I was too young for BOMT-Britney. I remember it all and I was only 5. I loved her then, and I love her now. I just wish we could get that same girl back, but people change. Weve all changed, but we only notice when its someone famous.

[Someone Who Knows]

5 minutes ago, Kiiddy said:

So Britney announces a tour and her career is over?   

I honestly wouldn't blame Britney for hating every single member here tbqh. 

 

WTF??? That is not what I said at all. She's in a legacy phase of her career now. The bulk of her story as a performer has been written. Sure, I hold out hope for a 'Believe' or 'Hung Up' somewhere down the line, but I am not EXPECTING or COUNTING on it; it's very unusual for that to happen. 

 

Madonna is in a legacy phase, too. She's an established figure in pop culture but she's only had like, two or three real hits in the last 15 years.

 

Britney's CAREER isn't over, but the RIDE of being a fan is over. The shape of what her career as a whole is going to look like is coming into focus. The difference between Britney's legacy today and Britney's legacy 10 years from now is going to be zilch compared to the difference between Britney's legacy today and Britney's legacy 10 years ago.

[Kiiddy]

12 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

WTF??? That is not what I said at all. She's in a legacy phase of her career now. The bulk of her story as a performer has been written. Sure, I hold out hope for a 'Believe' or 'Hung Up' somewhere down the line, but I am not EXPECTING or COUNTING on it; it's very unusual for that to happen. 

I mean more like, she's working on B10 and wants to do some tour dates.
Considering she's performed at award ceremonies and festivals, some in different countries as well...
that to me suggests Britney isn't going to just settle with Vegas.
If anything her actions are hinting she wants the best of both worlds.
She wants her residency, but wants to still be able to tour and promote whenever she can and wants to.
She's working with better writers and producers, seeking to actually deliver better albums and overall music.
Obviously we don't know what the future will bring, but when you speak about things being over... it doesn't make much sense to me.
 

[Someone Who Knows]

2 minutes ago, Kiiddy said:

I mean more like, she's working on B10 and wants to do some tour dates.
Considering she's performed at award ceremonies and festivals, some in different countries as well...
that to me suggests Britney isn't going to just settle with Vegas.
If anything her actions are hinting she wants the best of both worlds.
She wants her residency, but wants to still be able to tour and promote whenever she can and wants to.
She's working with better writers and producers, seeking to actually deliver better albums and overall music.
Obviously we don't know what the future will bring, but when you speak about things being over... it doesn't make sense to me.
 

I just mean the rollercoaster ride of being a fan is over. There aren't going to be any shocks to come. Her lifestyle is stable and moderate and she's a parent first. She enjoys doing her greatest hits residency in Vegas. She's never going to rule the charts again, and if she does, it won't be for another five-year run like 99-04 or 07-12. 

 

You just cannot say of an artist on track for a six-year greatest hits residency that the ride is not in a meaningful sense over

[Kiiddy]

4 hours ago, Someone Who Knows said:

I just mean the rollercoaster ride of being a fan is over. There aren't going to be any shocks to come. Her lifestyle is stable and moderate and she's a parent first. She's never going to rule the charts again, and if she does, it won't be for another five-year run like 99-04 or 07-12. 

I guess were different kind of fans then, because I'm not in it for the shock value.
I'm in it for the music, the artist and entertainer... Britney Spears.
As long as Britney is releasing albums and is an actual active performer selling tickets to shows, I'm happy.
I also don't believe Britney will never ever have moments in her career where she won't shock or surprise either tbh.

[Kiiddy]

16 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

Britney's CAREER isn't over, but the RIDE of being a fan is over. The shape of what her career as a whole is going to look like is coming into focus. The difference between Britney's legacy today and Britney's legacy 10 years from now is going to be zilch compared to the difference between Britney's legacy today and Britney's legacy 10 years ago.

The fan ride isn't over though, because its up to each and every individual isn't it?
If its over for one fan, then sure its over... but its not really over when people are looking forward
to her next albums and are going to be buying tickets to her up and coming tour dates in specific countries.
As I said, it really does depend on the individual. I respect you feel a certain way, but like, not every fan will.
I know friends who have never used BH/Exhale that are huge Britney fans, they know she's in Vegas, but they still fan for her.
 

[Someone Who Knows]

7 minutes ago, Kiiddy said:

I guess were different kind of fans then, because I'm not in it for the shock value.
I'm in it for the music, the artist and entertainer... Britney Spears.
As long as Britney is releasing albums and is an actual active performer selling tickets to shows, I'm happy.
I also don't believe Britney will never ever have moments in her career where she won't shock or surprise.
 

Don't get me wrong at all, the music was always the #1 draw for me; no matter what anyone wants to say about the stiff dancing, the lip-syncing, her awkwardness, there has always been the one immaculate untouchable fact of her ******* excellent pop music. And quite frankly I don't give a damn about lip-syncing and enjoy Robotney on stage, so that's not it, either. 

 

It is just undeniable that shocks and surprises have been a major factor in Britney's success. It's exciting! Pop is full of gimmicks and Britney and her people have been great at it. I was a bit shocked that she performed at the VMAs again (and I liked the performance a lot more than most people), but now I know she's willing to get out there and perform on TV again, so that's part of what I am taking into account, too. 

 

The bottom line here is that I am not saying Britney's career is over -- this post is more about ME than about Britney, me looking back on the last 17 years and thinking about what a wild ride it's been. Idk how old you are or how long you've been a fan, but believe me, it feels *really* different today to be a Britney fan than it did in 2002, 2008, even 2012. I'll always count down to her new music, buy her stuff, go to her shows, watch her performances and interviews...but it will never be like 2002, 2008, or even 2011 again when it was constant hype and excitement and she was everywhere. (Femme Fatale bashers can **** OFF)

[BritCircus]

24 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

As someone who has loved Britney since OIDIA came out and was obsessed with her practically non-stop since then, and now is nearing 30 years old, it's so weird and bittersweet to think that the Britney Ride is basically over. With Glory underperforming and Vegas on the verge of being extended again, it's becoming clearer and clearer what her career legacy is going to look like. It's been such an amazing experience and I'm so happy I got to grow up with her career. I'm not really into celebrities in general and I wouldn't have ever gotten into pop at all if it weren't for Britney. It's just weird, getting a little older, realizing -- that's it, it's over, I'll never have an experience like this again, being a super-fan over the course of 15+ years -- but all things considered she's had an amazing career and defied the critics and wowed the fans and kept everyone guessing more times than we can count and my life has been so much better for having gotten to come of age with Britney. It's bittersweet, looking back on the last 17 years of being a super-fan.

Don't really have a point to this thread other than ruminating!

Oh my god i totally understand you, i feel exactly the same, just that i'm a fan since baby one more time, i was a little kid, i grew up with her, it felt amazing how she was on top of the world, everybody talked about her and when she was announced to perform it was very exciting cause you didn't know what she was gonna do next, now that i'm a grown up adult! It feels bittersweet i totally get what you mean with the britney ride is over... time has changed everything, and i won't ever stan or get excited for anybody, it's not that i don't want to, it's more because i can't, like honestly there's no other pop girl nowadays that is close to what BRITNEY ******* SPEARS was and it's so sad that the new generation gets excited and call queens to these lesser girls...

[Kiiddy]

4 hours ago, Someone Who Knows said:

Don't get me wrong at all, the music was always the #1 draw for me; no matter what anyone wants to say about the stiff dancing, the lip-syncing, her awkwardness, there has always been the one immaculate untouchable fact of her ******* excellent pop music. And quite frankly I don't give a damn about lip-syncing and enjoy Robotney on stage, so that's not it, either. 

 

It is just undeniable that shocks and surprises have been a major factor in Britney's success. It's exciting! Pop is full of gimmicks and Britney and her people have been great at it. I was a bit shocked that she performed at the VMAs again (and I liked the performance a lot more than most people), but now I know she's willing to get out there and perform on TV again, so that's part of what I am taking into account, too. 

 

The bottom line here is that I am not saying Britney's career is over -- this post is more about ME than about Britney, me looking back on the last 17 years and thinking about what a wild ride it's been. Idk how old you are or how long you've been a fan, but believe me, it feels *really* different today to be a Britney fan than it did in 2002, 2008, even 2012.

Yeah I mean I completely get what you mean, which is why I edited out the career part.
I know its not so much about that. I also get that the surprises and shock value is fun and it adds to the overall eras.
I think that side though hasn't been the same for a long time, like probably since the ITZ era tbh.
I've been a fan since Baby One More Time. I'm in my 20s and for me I do see the change in Britney.
She's more content in spending her 30s where she doesn't have to travel all the time in and out of hotels, delivering shocking things every era.
I do miss those times myself, but I think I just accept it for what it is because its not a big deal to me as it is to some I guess.
It would have been a huge deal when I was a teenager though, but these days I'm very much accepting of each and everyone's decisions as I got older.
The music and seeing Britney perform is what always was most important to me though as a fan, rather than whether she's touring or not.
I think for me it would be over if she stopped doing music all together as well. 
I think she still has those great surprises and moments, like BBMA, VMA etc. BBMA for me was a huge moment.
I still love it and watch it to this day. Its like another iconic VMA moment for me as a fan.
I'm happy to see her perform at ceremonies still, do interviews and festivals just like she did in her prime.
That's why I feel her actions seem to hint that she's not just going to go into hibernation in Vegas forever.
She'll still be present elsewhere, but just not on a never-ending continuous scale like Rihanna for example.

 

[Someone Who Knows]

2 minutes ago, BritCircus said:

Oh my god i totally understand you, i feel exactly the same, just that i'm a fan since baby one more time, i was a little kid, i grew up with her, it felt amazing how she was on top of the world, everybody talked about her and when she was announced to perform it was very exciting cause you didn't know what she was gonna do next, now that i'm a grown up adult! It feels bittersweet i totally get what you mean with the britney ride is over... time has changed everything, and i won't ever stan or get excited for anybody, it's not that i don't want to, it's more because i can't, like honestly there's no other pop girl nowadays that is close to what BRITNEY ******* SPEARS was and it's so sad that the new generation gets excited and call queens to these lesser girls...

Part of it is that certain experiences are only possible when you are young. The fact that we formed attachments to a GREAT pop star at an early age and have grown up with her makes her special. Nobody will ever be able to occupy the same space in my mind as my BRITNEY, you know? The psychology is no longer possible. We've seen too much, experienced too much, have too many expectations. I can enjoy other pop stars like Rihanna and Ariana, but I'll never again get to have that special experience I had with Britney. Life's funny, huh? It's just -- over. We'll never experience it again. So that's sad -- but then, I feel so very lucky to have gotten to grow up with such a ******* great popstar as Britney, and doubly lucky that she went on to have such a long and successful run at the top -- and triply lucky that I got to root for her while she beat the odds and defied all her naysayers and critics. -sigh- 

[Chico101]

31 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

As someone who has loved Britney since OIDIA came out

But BOMT was the beginning not OIDIA...

I've been there since 1998 so take a seat. In fact I used to watch MMC as a kid so...

[The Greatest Show]

same.. Ive been a fan since 1999. I still love and appreciate her but I choose to still think of her like this and kind of pretend that everything post 2009 didnt happen

[Britneybbhmm]

just remember the earth is 4 billion years old and we all managed to exist at the same time as Britney! 

Thank u dear Lord 

[Someone Who Knows]

5 minutes ago, Chico101 said:

 

5 minutes ago, Chico101 said:

But BOMT was the beginning not OIDIA...

I've been there since 1998 so take a seat. In fact I used to watch MMC as a kid so...

OMG ur right what a liar I am

[Someone Who Knows]

7 minutes ago, Kiiddy said:

Yeah I mean I completely get what you mean, which is why I edited out the career part.
I know its not so much about that. I also get that the surprises and shock value is fun and it adds to the overall eras.
I think that side though hasn't been the same for a long time, like probably since the ITZ era tbh.
I've been a fan since Baby One More Time. I'm in my 20s and for me I do see the change in Britney.
She's more content in spending her 30s where she doesn't have to travel all the time in and out of hotels, delivering shocking things every era.
I do miss those times myself, but I think I just accept it for what it is because its not a big deal to me as it is to some I guess.
It would have been a huge deal when I was a teenager though, but these days I'm very much accepting of each and everyone's decisions as I got older.
The music and seeing Britney perform is what always was most important to me though as a fan, rather than whether she's touring or not.
I think for me it would be over if she stopped doing music all together as well.
I'm happy to see see her perform at ceremonies still, do interviews and festivals.
That's why I feel her actions seem to hint that she's not just going to go into hibernation in Vegas forever.
She'll still be present elsewhere, but just not on a never-ending continuous scale like Rihanna for example.

 

Again, it's not about me not accepting her decisions, but about me feeling bittersweet looking back at my own life and experiences as a fan over the years. If she wanted to retire tomorrow and live a normal life for the rest of her days, I'd cheer her on.

[BritCircus]

10 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

Part of it is that certain experiences are only possible when you are young. The fact that we formed attachments to a GREAT pop star at an early age and have grown up with her makes her special. Nobody will ever be able to occupy the same space in my mind as my BRITNEY, you know? The psychology is no longer possible. We've seen too much, experienced too much, have too many expectations. I can enjoy other pop stars like Rihanna and Ariana, but I'll never again get to have that special experience I had with Britney. Life's funny, huh? It's just -- over. We'll never experience it again. So that's sad -- but then, I feel so very lucky to have gotten to grow up with such a ******* great popstar as Britney, and doubly lucky that she went on to have such a long and successful run at the top -- and triply lucky that I got to root for her while she beat the odds and defied all her naysayers and critics. -sigh- 

Exactly!!! We can enjoy other ones, but it's obviously not the same, and we are here still! We rooted for her in her darkest times! Sometimes i would like for only one day to be a kid and experience her again lol i'm crazy!

[Kiiddy]

4 minutes ago, Someone Who Knows said:

Again, it's not about me not accepting her decisions, but about me feeling bittersweet looking back at my own life and experiences as a fan over the years. If she wanted to retire tomorrow and live a normal life for the rest of her days, I'd cheer her on.

Yeah I don't mean you're not accepting her decisions btw, I'm just expressing that's how I personally go about it is all.
I completely understand the looking back on everything. 
 

[BritCircus]

8 minutes ago, The Greatest Show said:

same.. Ive been a fan since 1999. I still love and appreciate her but I choose to still think of her like this and kind of pretend that everything post 2009 didnt happen

This literally made me feel very nostalgic and about to cry   my childhood was very happy because of her, buying her albums, singles, magazine, her ps2 videogame, posters, seeing her videos on tv! Watching those iconic tours! OMG i will stop now... i don't want to cry, i can't believe this will never happened again...