I remember this, although it wasn't in Astoria, it was in Heaven. I was living in London back in the day and rumors were flying around all day that Britney was going to be there, maybe perform, that night. My friend and I ran around soho to find a flyer, cause we couldn't get in the club without one. The queue to get in was SO long! I mean, the place was always busy, but i'd never seen it like that before, and i've never seen it like that again (although i haven't been there for years now).
We finally got in and it was PACKED. Like, the only way to move was to let yourself be carried by the crowd. There's a stage in the main room of the club, which i assume was supposed to be left empty so Britney could appear, but the greedy club people let too many people in and the stage was taken over by people dancing. After a while, i cant remember if someone announced it on the mic, or if it was just people spreading the word, but it was said that she had left the club because she was (rightfully) concerned for her safety. People started booing, it was terrible. I still had fun though!