Brit gets mixed reviews following her New Orleans show.
Singer Britney Spears performs onstage during the opening night of "The Circus Starring Britney Spears" tour at the New Orleans Arena on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana -
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Britney Spears kicked off her first concert tour in five years at the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday night. Although the pop princess is getting rave reviews from her fans, critics aren't so quick to jump back on the Britney bandwagon.
PEOPLE's music critic, Chuck Arnold, wrote that Spears was "visibly nervous" and "never really hit her old stride." Arnold also noted that her performance lacked joy, and she didn't even address the audience until after her encore when she said, "Thank you, New Orleans." There's also talk that Britney did more strutting than dancing and more lip-synching than singing, but the fans in the arena didn't seem to mind. The home state crowd was just happy to have her back.
Fans are also buzzing about how the singer is back in shape. She did her best to prove it in an array of belly-baring, curve-hugging costumes, which included a ringmaster ensemble for the opening, a dominatrix-inspired outfit complete with blindfold for "Touch of My Hand," and a non-regulation police uniform for "Womanizer."
Britney will visit 27 cities in the U.S. before her tour takes her to Europe in June.
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