This Day in Pop: 'The Circus Starring Britney Spears' tour kicks off in 2009 (March 03)

[PokemonSpears]

On March 03, 2009, The Circus Starring Britney Spears tour kicked off in New Orleans. In order to support her sixth studio album, the Circus Tour would be Britney Spears' "comeback" tour since her Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004, and after a so-called "public breakdown" in 2007. This was her first tour after being placed under a conservatorship in 2008, despite which, she showed to be totally capable of performing complex dance routines, memorize lyrics, interact with props, participate in magic tricks and even being lifted in the air while blindfolded on the back of two aerialists. The tour got two legs in North America, one in Europe and another one in Australia, where it ended in November, after 97 shows and 1.5M in attendance.

The Circus Tour grossed $131.8M (around $160M today) becoming the fifth highest grossing tour of 2009 and 16th overall in the decade of the 00's. Choreographer Jamie King did the casting of the dancers and acrobats while Simon Ellis was in charge of the musical direction. The production design was done by Road Rage, developing the big, circular stage with two smaller satellite rings at the sides, all of which resembled an actual three-ring circus, that was built by Tait Towers. A cylindrical screen above the stage was built by Solotech.

Despite its name, the setlist actually included more songs from her albums In the Zone and Blackout, rather than Circus.

1. Circus
2. Piece of Me
3. Radar
4. Ooh Ooh Baby / Hot As Ice
5. Boys
6. If U Seek Amy
7. Me Against the Music (Bollywood Remix)
8. Everytime
9. Freakshow
10. Get Naked (I Got a Plan)
11. Breathe on Me / Touch of My Hand
12. Do Somethin'
13. I'm a Slave 4 U
14. Toxic
15. ...Baby One More Time
16. Womanizer

Besides these, the opening night she covered Duffy's I'm Scared.

 

And in subsequent legs, she performed Mannequin and Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know.

 

The concert was never broadcasted live and it didn't receive any DVD release as her previous tours. However, some professional footage of the Copenhagen date exists, provided by Yahoo.

 

While in Paris, Britney talked to ET about the changes on the European leg, and some of her dancers showed the outfits worn onstage. They also revealed Britney and Chase choreographed Mannequin.

 

Feel free to share your favorite clips of the tour, as well as pictures and outfits

 

[PokemonSpears]

 

[Iconic 4 U]

I love the Get Naked performance

[CindyTheTVisLeaking]

I remember being 20 years old

being in love with my calculus teacher at Texas A&M 

visiting Brit's concert for the very first time in Houston 

and thats why I love Circus era so much 

because of all those wonderful memories 

[phareezy]

51 minutes ago, PokemonSpears said:

 

This remains one of my favorite concert interludes ever. Pure ***.

[electricopop]

1 hour ago, PokemonSpears said:

 

My fave part of the tour is this Sweet Dreams Interlude!

[dr35]

This Tour is one of my favorite pieces of Britney’s history. Every day I wish They’d drop a DVD of this one, so I can Quit re-watching my bootleg 😂

The outfits were fire, choreography wasn’t bad, but most importantly the concepts!!! 
Britney singing ‘Piece of Me’ in that cage, then pulling her leg over her head.... my LORD. 🙌🏽
 

‘Get Naked’, ‘Breathe On Me’, ‘Touch of my Hand’ as a combo..... PHENOMENAL. 

Ugh...... and the video reels .... the final one before ‘Womanizer’ is one of the best Britney career edits to date. 

[FemmeFataleBrit]

2 hours ago, Iconic 4 U said:

I love the Get Naked performance

She looks like she’s having fun here! 
For some reason her expressions remind me of Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory.

[Innate]

What songs are used in that video interlude before Womanizer?? Besides Slave, Gimme More and Break The Ice... where is the beat and the male rap bit from?? I’ve been searching for years for an answer

[GLOOMINATI]

The costumes were ON POINT. Not a single leotard in sight ! 

[BritneyWithGlasses]

she looks so good here. her best outfit and look since 2008

[nthenwkiss]

is it only me? it all feels different now; like i see these videos and think of the past and i cant help but feel some sort of guilt / remorse. yes it was the kickoff of one of her most successful tours ever but also the beginning of slavery.

[NewDisplayName]

7 hours ago, PokemonSpears said:

 

The beauty the ***iness 

[ThisMeowBiteback]

Literally one of the best nights of my Life!! Being at the opening was electrifying 

[reVolution]

So Iconic, Oh my Gosh, The production was amazing, the outfits, the stage 

 

[reVolution]

5 minutes ago, ThisMeowBiteback said:

Literally one of the best nights of my Life!! Being at the opening was electrifying 

Please describe, I would love to read more, I know she cried at the beggining right?, her eyes were teary

[ThisMeowBiteback]

3 hours ago, reVolution said:

Please describe, I would love to read more, I know she cried at the beggining right?, her eyes were teary

It was the loudest I have ever heard a crowd ever, I just remember being in awe. It was the first time I have ever seen her live & I was a fan from the beginning but I believe I was 9 when she first came out, anyway everything was amazing, videos do not do the tour any justice at all. Yes she cried & it was like she felt like she made it back home in a sense 

[reVolution]

3 minutes ago, ThisMeowBiteback said:

It was the loudest I have ever heard a crowd ever, I just remember being in awe. It was the first time I have ever seen her live & I was a fan from the beginning but I believe I was 9 when she first came out, anyway everything was amazing, videos do not do the tour any justice at all. Yes she cried & it was like she felt like she made it back home in a since. 

Wow, I bet the crowd was wild, and yeah, the production looked amazing even with just the fan videos, wish we had a DVD 

[Danielle1987]

7 hours ago, CindytheTV_isLeaking said:

and thats why I love Circus era so much 

because of all those wonderful memories 

Same! My sweet college years 

[PokemonSpears]

1 hour ago, ThisMeowBiteback said:

It was the loudest I have ever heard a crowd ever, I just remember being in awe. It was the first time I have ever seen her live & I was a fan from the beginning but I believe I was 9 when she first came out, anyway everything was amazing, videos do not do the tour any justice at all. Yes she cried & it was like she felt like she made it back home in a since. 

that's so cool you were there