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Britney Spears Takes Me To The Circus

Posted 8/26/09 12:31 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


Last night, I did something I never thought I would do: I left the office, took the subway to Madison Square Garden and showed my ticket to an usher so that I could be let into the Britney Spears concert, the second of her three Circus stops in New York this week. The idea was to get the perspective of somebody not used to big spectacles, and I walked away educated and confused but — ultimately — pleasantly surprised.

Not only had I never seen Britney Spears live, but I also have very little experience with giant pop shows or even arena acts. I've lived in New York for 10 years and have been to Madison Square Garden countless times for basketball games, but prior to last night the only concerts I had ever seen there were R.E.M., AC/DC and an ill-advised Barenaked Ladies show (that one was for a girl). Britney certainly blew away each of those groups (even the heavy-on-pyro AC/DC) with the spectacle that is the Circus tour.

(Click here for more photos from Britney Spears' wild summer!)

For the complete blow-by-blow, you should really check out Jocelyn Vena's full show report from Monday night as well as Jim Cantiello's reactions and highlights, but here are a few things that stood out to me.

» Britney Spears Knows Showmanship
Even during the best rock shows, there will always be a song or two that don't mean as much to you as the rest of them (there are always exceptions). Usually, that's the time to go back to the bar, hit the bathroom or text your friends about what a great show it is, but Britney gives you options. Not a big fan of "Piece of Me"? There are plenty of dancers to distract you. Can't stand "Ooh Ooh Baby"? No worries — magician and former "Saved by the Bell" cast member Ed Alonzo is here to perform some magic. Also, I was seriously impressed with how she covered all areas of the stage so that no corner of the arena could say they got any more or less Britney than anybody else.

» Britney Spears Is Adored
I've spent my entire life going to concerts and sporting events, but rarely have I heard the sort of sustained frenzy that I heard last night. Read More...

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Britney Spears' Circus Show: Leather Masks, Trampolines And Jordin Sparks

Posted 8/25/09 11:44 am EST by in Concerts, Music


I popped my Britney Spears concert cherry last night at Madison Square Garden, and it was a one-night stand I won't regret.

"But Jim," you ask, "how the hell did a pop culture fanatic like you go 27 years without seeing Britney perform live?" I dunno. I guess I never had the urge to pony up the $8 million needed to catch a Britney show. (I kid. Ticket prices are less than that. Slightly.) Plus, I was never a diehard fan of Britney's music. Don't get me wrong: I always dug her as a pop culture force, and the hoopla around her and her career has been fascinating to me since day one. I just can't say I have ever purchased a Britney song on iTunes.

Not to mention that Britney has a reputation for not always singing live at her concerts. Why would I want to pay money to see someone lip-synch for two hours? I'll save my money for the next time Grizzly Bear is in town. Now that's a concert.

But given all the "She's back!" buzz surrounding the Circus tour, I jumped at the chance to check out her first of three nights at Madison Square Garden. "If I'm gonna see Britney, now's the time to do it," I told myself during another one-sided conversation. She's a total underdog that you can't stop rooting for, and I was curious to see if she's really "back."

Let me echo the sentiments of her fans, folks. Yep, she's baaaaaaack! And I had the time of my life at her concert.

Here are five more things that totally surprised me about the "Circus" tour.

» Jordin Sparks = Force To Be Reckoned With
Jordin Sparks debuted on the Circus tour last night, and she came out like she owned the place. The girl has more bona fide smash hits than some artists twice her age, and she flaunted each and every one of them during her tight opening set. MSG lit up with camera flashes the instant Ms. Sparks appeared on stage (wearing a sick-looking feather skirt) to sing "One Step at a Time." The crowd was less enthusiastic about the pair of newer album deep cuts she tossed into the set (girl's gotta sell her new record!), but once she finished with a one-two-three punch of "Battlefield," "Tattoo" and "No Air," the room was bouncing and singing in unison. It didn't hurt that Sparks sounded spectacular live, even with her ear monitor flying off two songs in. She is a fantastic addition to the Circus tour.

» Just Because You Have No Legs Doesn't Mean You Can't Jump On A Trampoline Read More...

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What To Expect From Tonight's Britney Spears Show: An MTV News Investigation

Posted 8/24/09 1:08 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


Believe it or not, I have never seen Britney Spears in concert. Sure, I have seen the Backstreet Boys and even begrudgingly saw 'NSYNC, but I have never, ever seen the pop princess herself live on stage dancing and singing her way through some of her most classic and choice tunes.

So in order to prepare myself for the show tonight at Madison Square Garden, I asked some of my work colleagues here at MTV News who had the chance to see her on her "Circus" tour the first time around what they think I should expect from the show. Each of them gave me some interesting tidbits of information.

Ashley Mastronardi, who attended the show in Pittsburgh in March, told me, "Britney looks great, but she is not at her 'Slave 4 U' peak (she doesn't dance as much as she has in the past). But this show proves what a star she is because although her dancers pick her up a lot and wheel her across the stage, the audience still went crazy for her. Her star power really shines through."

James Montgomery, who loves to keep his advice short and sweet (which is ironic because in real life he is neither short nor sweet) had the lucky chance to see her on her opening night in March in New Orleans: "Three words: "Expect the gays."
Read More...

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Girl Talk Never Stop The Dancing

Posted 8/24/09 11:33 am EST by in Concerts, Music


By Jett Wells

If you want to know how well a Girl Talk show went, you need only ask when it fell apart. Sunday's (August 23) show peaked early. By the time mash-up phenom Greg Gillis launched into his third song, the crowd had already trampled the barricade and ransacked the stage at the Williamsburg Waterfront.

From every vantage point, there were flailing body parts, sweat-drenched faces and tumbling body surfers. After hours of shoving, pushing, jumping, air-humping and fist-pumping, the crowd screamed and let out a huge breath of air and walked their limp bodies home in the rain.

Even though his live show is little more than a dude from Pittsburgh with a laptop, Gillis' intensity is undeniable. He started the concert dry-headed and wearing a sweatshirt, but by the end of the set he was half-naked and completely soaked in his own sweat. By then, Gillis was just another dude in the crowd, as the audience had long since rushed the stage to join the party next to Gillis. Halfway through the set, the music stopped suddenly because the crowd had pulled out some cords. 10 minutes later, the music stopped again because the stage was falling apart from all the weight of the dancing fans.

"You guys broke the stage!" Gillis yelled.

Perhaps the most overlooked virtue about Girl Talk concerts is that his mash-ups are always different. Most of the samples are the same, but the combination constantly changes and he's always adding new ideas. On Sunday, Gillis dipped into new hits like Drake's "Best I Ever Had" and Lady Gaga's "LoveGame."

Though the show ended with violent dancing and rain, everybody still walked away smiling. Such is Gillis' trick: He plays songs you already know in a no-frills setting, and somehow he remains transcendent.

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Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Amy Winehouse Invade V Fest In U.K.

Posted 8/24/09 10:51 am EST by in Concerts, Music


Over the weekend, around 80 bands descended on two different locations in England for this year's V Festival, one of the U.K.'s biggest annual musical traditions. Oasis were supposed to headline the closing night, but singer Liam Gallagher caught a case of viral laryngitis and couldn't perform. (Snow Patrol filled in for the band in the top slot, covering "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" in honor of their absent colleagues.) But the weekend really belonged to the ladies, as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and the always-fashion-forward Lady Gaga turned in crowd-pleasing sets.

(Click here for more photos from V Fest, including shots of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and more!)

The Killers, MGMT and Lily Allen also turned in memorable sets, but perhaps the weekend's biggest surprise came during the performance by the Specials. In the middle of their set, the veteran ska band brought out a very special guest to join them on two songs: Amy Winehouse. In her first U.K. performance in over a year, Winehouse backed the band up on "Ghost Town" and "You're Wondering Now" before ducking back out again. That wasn't the only appearance she made during the weekend, as she also introduced fellow British tabloid regular Pete Doherty before his set on Saturday. Though she wasn't necessarily in top form with the Specials, her performance was a far cry from her appearance at last year's V Fest (where she was roundly heckled) or her attempt at a comeback earlier this year in St. Lucia (where she cut off her set six songs in because of "technical difficulties"). The festival season is coming to a close both here and abroad, which is why MTV News will be getting our last licks in this weekend in San Francisco at the Outside Lands Festival.

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Nine Inch Nails Perform The Downward Spiral In Its Entirety At New York Show

Posted 8/24/09 12:21 am EST by in Concerts, Music


When Trent Reznor announced that he would be retiring Nine Inch Nails after a brief tour at the end of this summer, all he promised were beefed up setlists and "a few surprises." After the first two shows in New York — one each at the tiny Bowery Ballroom and the slightly less tiny Webster Hall — it's clear that Reznor wasn't kidding. After pulling out a few rarities at Saturday night's show (including the band's rarely-played cover of Joy Division's "Dead Souls"), the Nine Inch Nails frontman satisfied what appeared to be a long-held desire in front of about 1,400 diehards: He played his 1994 album The Downward Spiral in its entirety on Sunday night (August 23).

Though Reznor's debut Pretty Hate Machine had gotten him the initial attention he deserved, The Downward Spiral made him a star. That's pretty odd considering that record is an incredibly dense, harsh and at times violent descent into Reznor's warped mind. But the difficulty didn't stop it from becoming one of the best written-about and most beloved albums of the 1990s. To some people, it's simply the album that contained one of the dirtiest hit singles in history ("Closer," with its chorus of "I want to f--- you like an animal"), but to the fans who helped sell out Reznor's entire "Wave Goodbye" tour in minutes, it's a definitive statement from a brilliant artist.

Reznor and his able band plowed through the 14 tracks that make up The Downward Spiral with savagery and grace. The opener "Mr. Self Destruct" provided an initial jolt of adrenaline, but then the jazzy "Piggy" slowed things down. Following the one-two punch of "Heresy" (chorus: "God is dead and no one cares") and "March of the Pigs" and the crowd collectively realized what was happening, even the densest keyboard meandering (which makes up some of The Downward Spiral's latter half) was met with love and awe.
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Taking Back Sunday Launch D*Coded Clothing Line With Macy's Show

Posted 8/17/09 11:35 am EST by in Concerts, Music


By Ben Hockin

Taking Back Sunday supported the launch of D*Coded, a new clothing brand for boys, by having a free show at Macy's Herald Square in New York City yesterday. The middle of the children's floor in a department store isn't necessarily the most logical spot for a rock show, but the five men from TBS made it work. Fans were packed between racks of brand-named clothing to see their favorite band play a seven-song acoustic set while tourists and shoppers were walking by with confused faces wondering how they were ever going to get to the Rocawear T-shirts on the other side of the stage.

The group opened with "New Again" and followed that with "A Decade Under the Influence." The band likes to toss in the Beyoncé lyric, "If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it" at the end of the latter tune, and they revealed that their performance at Bamboozle was recorded and is ready to become a live album — just as long as they can clear the use of the lyric with her people. "It's not like you can just call Beyoncé on her cell phone," lead singer Adam Lazzara told the crowd.

A few songs later, TBS brought down the store with their latest single "Sink Into Me." They then proceeded to have a small and spontaneous question and answer session with the crowd, where they discussed baseball, encouraged everybody to go to church and even gave away a guitar pick to a fan.

After the show, the band took photos and signed autographs with the first 100 fans that bought a D*Coded product. D*Coded is a new clothing brand designed by Maria Hartley, for boys, and was "inspired by popular music, surf, skate, and the emerging active sport culture." You can find D*Coded apparel by looking for their skateboard and skull logo or at any Macy's and Nordstrom's across the country.

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John Legend Welcomes Kanye West, Estelle, Rick Ross To Madison Square Garden

Posted 8/14/09 11:05 am EST by in Concerts, Music


By Ayana Allen

John Legend has performed in huge stadiums to massive crowds at the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, political conventions and at Live Earth. He's a guy who by now should be comfortable with fame and attention. But last night during his performance at New York's Madison Square Garden — the first time he has ever headlined the iconic arena — he seemed just slightly overwhelmed by the energy of it all.

"I used to sing this song in clubs," he said before launching into "Stay With You," the final song in his set. "And I couldn't wait for the day I got to sing it in Madison Square Garden."

(Click here for more photos from from John Legend's performance at Madison Square Garden!)

Legend certainly treated the show like a huge event, welcoming friends Kanye West, Rick Ross, Estelle, reggae legend Buju Banton and opening act India.Arie to the stage for some all-star collaborations.

"This is a star-studded event!" Legend announced following his opening number, a spot-on take on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which he crooned from the audience. He made his way up to the stage and rolled out hit after hit, climaxing in the appearance of Estelle and West for an extended version of the trio's hit "American Boy."

For one lucky fan, the highlight came when Legend invited her up on stage for a slow dance during (obviously) "Slow Dance." Though she looked like she was about to faint, she maintained her composure and walked away with a kiss on the cheek, a long-stemmed red rose and an unforgettable memory for her trouble.

But fans didn't need to dance with the man to appreciate the evening. By the time he ended the show with "Green Light," he had managed to seduce everybody at MSG.

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The Lollapalooza Six Pack: Half A Dozen To Watch

Posted 8/6/09 3:00 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


You're forgiven if a glance at the top of this year's Lollapalooza bill makes you feel like you've fallen into a wormhole to 1991. Between old-school headliners Tool, Depeche Mode and Jane's Addiction (fellow old-schoolers the Beastie Boys had to drop out due to Adam Yauch's cancer diagnosis) and new school topliners who channel the good old days (Kings of Leon's 1970s AM radio rock, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' '80s new wave and the Killers' early U2 pose), everything old is new again.

But dig a bit deeper and there's plenty of gold on the Chicago waterfront among the 100-ish bands who will sprawl out over the mile-long festival site in Grant Park, which kicks off tomorrow. Your legs might give out before you make it to all these sets, but catch half of them and you'll thank yourself (or me) later.

Day 1

The Henry Clay People
These Glendale, California shaggy dogs bring a West Coast halo to the bleary-eyed barroom rock perfected by the Hold Steady and the Replacements. Songs like the title track from their album Working Part Time, in which they bemoan "We were working part time all the time," perfectly capture the get-in-the-van indie experience. They're on early, but it'll probably be just the wake-up call you need.

Amazing Baby
How can you not love a band with a song called "The Narwhal?" Unicorned sea creatures notwithstanding, this Brooklyn-based psychedelic five-piece made noise at this year's South by Southwest festival and are starting to bend ears with their truly trippy, dirge-erific debut, Rewild. Plus, they're pals with MGMT and Chairlift, so at the very least they have good taste.

Day 2
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Robin Thicke Toasts Michael Jackson In Brooklyn

Posted 8/4/09 12:50 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


By Selina Kaye

Last night, Robin Thicke and Jazmine Sullivan each delivered swoon-worthy sets at a free concert in Brooklyn, NY as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. concert series. But I'm not going to lie: While Sullivan is a stellar performer who delivered neck-snapping renditions of some of her best songs (including "Bust Your Windows," a show highlight), I was mostly there to drink in Thicke.

Anticipation for the sensuous R&B crooner was high, and he converted the chants of "Robin!" into lustful screams as soon as he hit the stage and busted into "Teach Me a Lesson." The moaning and pelvic thrusting continued through snogs from both of his albums, including the Lil Wayne-assisted hit single "Shooter."

In the middle of his performance, Robin Thicke paid homage to late legend Michael Jackson with his own version of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," which prompted the audience to sing along at a deafening volume. He walked off the stage leaving behind the same fever pitch that welcomed him, making it clear that when it comes to Robin Thicke, it's never enough.

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