PH fans get piece of Britney Spears in Manila concert

By Patrick Lasanas for Wilbros Live

In 2007, in the hit “Piece of Me,” Britney Spears sang of “sneaking away to the Philippines.”

But it wasn’t until 10 years later—on Thursday night—that the line in the song became fully realized, when she stepped onstage at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, before thousands of fans who wanted not only a piece of her, but all of her.

Just as expected of a Britney concert, the Manila leg of her current Asian tour was a spectacle—a lavish 90-minute production replete with fabulous costume changes, pulsing lights and screens that displayed arresting digital backdrops that morphed accordingly to the show’s various themed acts, from club to circus to jungle.

All these were designed to electrify the atmosphere, as Britney performed 23 of her most popular dance tunes and mid-tempo bops from the past 18 years.

Emerging on one of the two circular platforms that flanked the stage, the 35-year-old recording artist—looking toned in a shimmery green leotard—opened the night with “Work Bitch.”

By Sherwin Guzman for Wilbros Live

Tousling her hair and strutting down the runway to the song’s sassy, thumping beats, Britney motioned to the already loud audience to turn it up one more notch.

Britney’s head-worn microphone—like the cape and top hat she had on—was a mere accent in her ensemble, which turned on only during the few moments she addressed her fans. That Britney mimes to her songs is no secret; it has been the case since her early days as a solo act.

But to attend her show and expect great singing is to entirely miss the point. Britney is the icon she is now not for her vocals, but her irresistible stage presence and ability to deliver ravishing performances. And of course, there are the songs—most of which have become defining pop anthems for the many ’90s kids in attendance.

The fans, some of whom came in costumes inspired by those donned by Britney in her popular music videos, sang and danced, reveling in the nostalgia triggered by such songs as “…Baby One More Time,” “Oops!… I Did It Again,” which were given darker arrangements; and the sticky and breathy “I’m a Slave 4 U,” which had Britney working a dance pole. In “Toxic,” on the other hand, things started out slow and whimsical, before swelling into a dance banger.

Courtesy of Smart Music Live

While her dancing was solid throughout the show, it was apparent that her moves were no longer as explosive and fluid as they were before her knee surgery in 2004, and all the subsequent mental and emotional turmoil she had to endure after. And at times, Britney defaulted to frantic arm choreography or static poses.

But the fans’ enthusiasm was unrelenting, and it seemed to have ignited Britney’s spirit in few key moments. And every so often, she showed flashes of brilliance.

Her dancing in the mashup of “Break the Ice” and “Piece of Me”—which featured flirty floor work—was some of the night’s most confident and committed.

The dance breaks in “Womanizer” and “Me Against the Music” exuded power and freedom. She was seductive and unhurried in “Touch of My Hand,” which saw her in a dalliance with two bare-chested dancers. There was precision in “Stronger” and “Crazy.” And in “Till the World Ends,” she seemed to be genuinely having fun.

“Britney Spears: Live in Concert was presented by Wilbros Live and Smart Music Live.”