Britney Spears

Birmingham LG Arena

I really, really wanted to love Britney Spears as her Femme Fatale show came to the LG Arena in Birmingham.

But I came away from last night’s gig feeling a little bit flat.

In her younger years she was the whole package, singing and dancing with irritatingly catchy songs and great dance routines.

But last night, out were the high-energy performances and dance routines of days gone by. In were half-hearted routines, performed with little effort.

And then there was the miming. If I’m right, it appeared that just one song – Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know – was sung live in its entirety. Very disappointing, especially when the dancing wasn’t as good as it could have been to make up for the miming.

Opening the show in a white and silver leotard to Hold It Against Me, the star went through a variety of skimpy outfits. The show went up a gear when Britney donned a biker chick look of cut-off denim shorts and a bra top and went back in time for a reworked version of her original hit Baby One More Time.

She also performed her part of Rihanna’s S&M, Slave For You and Womaniser – all massive crowd pleasers.

But the best was saved to the end – a rousing performance of Till The World Ends.

Concert review by Lisa Wright.