Britney Spears is stronger than yesterday with ‘Glory,’ at Axis and VMAs
John Katsilometes, my colleague and good friend of a decade who now pens Kats! here at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, once wrote that Britney Spears fans are uncommonly forgiving and extraordinarily loyal.
Yes, we are, and Spears, whose more than two decade career has had its share of very public ups and downs, has been on an upward trajectory in recent years. She’s on a run now with her new album, “Glory,” performance with G-Eazy at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York and hit residency BRITNEY: PIECE OF ME at Axis at Planet Hollywood.
Few artists with longevity continue to have music sales that mirror their career peaks, but Spears’ “Glory,” which dropped Aug. 26, debuted at a solid No. 3 (behind debuts by Barbra Streisand and Florida Georgia Line). “Glory” also happens to be some of her best music in years, with standouts including “Make Me,” “Do You Wanna Come Over?” and the French-language “Coupure Electrique.”
Nobody on God’s green Earth would want to follow The Queen, Beyonce, at the VMAs, or any awards, but Spears had the unenviable spot two days after “Glory” was released and held her own with G-Eazy in a sexy yellow ensemble. Spears looked fabulous, her performance was on point (everyone knows that Spears lip syncs … yawn), and her mashup of G-Eazy’s “Me, Myself & I,” subbing for the hot-mess-fabulous Bebe Rexha, was a fun surprise.
Finally, I returned to PIECE OF ME last Saturday for the third time. The show opened in December 2013, and I saw it twice in 2014, so it had been a few years. Third time’s the charm, as Spears has never looked and danced better, and the added songs “Make Me” and “Do You Wanna Come Over?” from “Glory” complement the super-fun PIECE OF ME. The show is now definitely a must-see for fans.
Britney’s back — and I hope for good.