Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour
Encyclopedia
Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour is a 2011 concert special by American pop singer Britney Spears
, documenting the August 13 and 14, 2011 shows of the Femme Fatale Tour
. Filmed at the Air Canada Centre
in Toronto, the show was shot in 2D and 3D
by 3ality Digital
, and premiered on Epix on November 12, 2011. BBC Worldwide
attained distribution rights of the show outside the United States. The special portrays a story in which Spears is a secret agent chased by a stalker, and features guest appearances by Nicki Minaj
and Sabi
. Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the special and the impressive stage, while others criticized Spears's lip synching and dancing.
account that the Toronto shows at the Air Canada Centre
would be taped to air on the Epix television channel, and for release on DVD. Within minutes of her announcement, traffic to EPIX social sites doubled and Britney Spears became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. The show, initially titled Britney Spears: Femme Fatale, was shot in 2D and 3D
by 3ality Digital
to premiere in November on Epix, as well as on EPIX on Demand and EpixHD.com. Epix president and CEO Mark Greenberg said, "EPIX is dedicated to bringing fans closer to the talent they love and we are pleased to connect this truly iconic American star to her large and passionate fan base." It was her first televised concert since The Onyx Hotel Tour
was broadcast on Showtime on March 28, 2004. The show was announced to premiere on November 12, 2011 at 20:00 EST (01:00 UTC). On September 9, 2011, it was announced by the BBC
that BBC Worldwide
had attained distribution rights of the show outside the United States. The 2D version will be available for broadcast from Christmas Eve
2011, with the 3D version available in February 2012. Along with concerts by Alice Cooper
and Elbow
, the Femme Fatale Tour is going to be one of the first 3D music offerings by the BBC Worldwide, and was available to broadcasters at the 2011 edition of Mipcom
. Two teaser trailers for the show were released on September 13 and October 10, 2011, respectively. Clips of some of the performances, including "3
", "(Drop Dead) Beautiful
", "I'm a Slave 4 U
" and "Boys
", were released days prior to the premiere.
.. The first section begins with "Hold It Against Me
" and features her escaping from prison along with other female inmates. The second segment displays upbeat dance numbers, including "Big Fat Bass
" which features will.i.am
on the backdrops, and "Lace and Leather", in which she interacts with a member of the audience named Alex. The third section features an Egyptian/Indian theme with fireworks and acrobatics, and Spears is joined by Sabi
during the performance of "(Drop Dead) Beautiful". The fourth segment, set in London, displays energetic routines and motorcycle costumes. The encore begins with a video interlude of Spears capturing the stalker, and continues with a Tokyo-inspired performance of "Toxic
" in which she defeats a group of ninjas. The show ends with "Till the World Ends
", which features a guest appearance by Nicki Minaj
performing her verse from the Femme Fatale Remix of the song.
stated, "Look out for cameos from Nicki Minaj and Sabi, killer dancing, beautifully designed costumes, elaborate stage setups and a set list that even the biggest Britney critic couldn't help but shake their groove thing to." Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly
gave the special a B+, and said that the live show "is a pop-music pleasure and a lesson in how to stage an arena tour. Watching it on TV — here in unbeweavably glorious HD — is certainly the next best thing." Stransky added that the special "conjures up a detail-focused experience that allows you to see the little things, from Spears' poor attempts at hiding her lip-synching to the sinewy wonders that are her dancers." Neal Justin of the Star Tribune
said the special "proves once and for all that Spears has lost the ability to dance. The expensive set pieces are impressive, but the 'singer's' inability to shake her tail feather is downright criminal." Kelsea Stahler of the New York Post
criticized many elements of the show, including the storyline and the costumes, and added that "you [know] you [are] headed for disappointment, but it's Britney. You have to watch. [...] Your pimply, adolescent self said you'd love Britney forever no matter what; and part of you still believes that." Joshua Gillin of the St. Petersburg Times
said the show "woulda been sooo [sic
] hot, like, seven years ago. Now you can obsess over her obvious lip-synching in the comfort of your own home, and be glad you didn't pay $80 to see this."
(*) denotes remixer
(^) denotes remixer and additional producer
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, documenting the August 13 and 14, 2011 shows of the Femme Fatale Tour
Femme Fatale Tour
The Femme Fatale Tour is the seventh concert tour by American singer Britney Spears, in support of her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. It was officially announced in March 2011, with dates for North American venues revealed. The tour was initially planned as a co-headlining tour with Enrique...
. Filmed at the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
in Toronto, the show was shot in 2D and 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
by 3ality Digital
3ality Digital
3ality Digital is a Burbank, California based company specializing in high-definition, live-action stereoscopic digital 3D. The company develops production systems, image processing software and other technologies that enable the creation, post-production and distribution of live-action 3D...
, and premiered on Epix on November 12, 2011. BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
attained distribution rights of the show outside the United States. The special portrays a story in which Spears is a secret agent chased by a stalker, and features guest appearances by Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
and Sabi
Sabi (singer)
Jenice Dena "Sab-bion" Portlock , also known as Sabi, is an American pop singer-songwriter, dancer and actress from Los Angeles, California. She was formerly known in the late 2000s as the lead singer of the Hip hop girl group The Bangz that split in early 2010...
. Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the special and the impressive stage, while others criticized Spears's lip synching and dancing.
Background
On August 12, 2011, Spears announced through her TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that the Toronto shows at the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
would be taped to air on the Epix television channel, and for release on DVD. Within minutes of her announcement, traffic to EPIX social sites doubled and Britney Spears became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. The show, initially titled Britney Spears: Femme Fatale, was shot in 2D and 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
by 3ality Digital
3ality Digital
3ality Digital is a Burbank, California based company specializing in high-definition, live-action stereoscopic digital 3D. The company develops production systems, image processing software and other technologies that enable the creation, post-production and distribution of live-action 3D...
to premiere in November on Epix, as well as on EPIX on Demand and EpixHD.com. Epix president and CEO Mark Greenberg said, "EPIX is dedicated to bringing fans closer to the talent they love and we are pleased to connect this truly iconic American star to her large and passionate fan base." It was her first televised concert since The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour
The Onyx Hotel Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Britney Spears. It supported her fourth studio album In the Zone and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the album was announced in December 2003...
was broadcast on Showtime on March 28, 2004. The show was announced to premiere on November 12, 2011 at 20:00 EST (01:00 UTC). On September 9, 2011, it was announced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
had attained distribution rights of the show outside the United States. The 2D version will be available for broadcast from Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
2011, with the 3D version available in February 2012. Along with concerts by Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, the Femme Fatale Tour is going to be one of the first 3D music offerings by the BBC Worldwide, and was available to broadcasters at the 2011 edition of Mipcom
Mipcom
-MIPCOM:MIPCOM is a TV and entertainment market which is held in the town of Cannes once every year, normally in October.It is essentially a content event for co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content...
. Two teaser trailers for the show were released on September 13 and October 10, 2011, respectively. Clips of some of the performances, including "3
3 (song)
"3" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from her second greatest hits compilation The Singles Collection. It was released on September 29, 2009, as the only single of the album by Jive Records. The song was produced by long-time collaborator Max Martin and Shellback, and recorded...
", "(Drop Dead) Beautiful
(Drop Dead) Beautiful
" Beautiful" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her seventh studio album Femme Fatale . The dance-pop song features American recording artist Sabi. Spears started recording songs for the album in 2009...
", "I'm a Slave 4 U
I'm a Slave 4 U
"I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on September 24, 2001 by Jive Records, as the first single from the album...
" and "Boys
Boys (Britney Spears song)
"Boys" is a song performed by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the production team The Neptunes and American rap group N.E.R.D.. A version of the song, "The Co-ed Remix" was released as the sixth single from Spears' third...
", were released days prior to the premiere.
Content
The show, divided in five segments, portrays a story in which Spears is a secret agent, who is chased by a stalker; played by Rudolf MartinRudolf Martin
Rudolf Martin is a German actor working mainly in the US. He first appeared in off-Broadway productions and then moved on to extensive TV and film work. He has made guest appearances on numerous hit television series and recently started working in Germany as well. He currently resides in Los...
.. The first section begins with "Hold It Against Me
Hold It Against Me
"Hold It Against Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, released as the first single from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. It was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. Luke explained that he wanted "Hold It...
" and features her escaping from prison along with other female inmates. The second segment displays upbeat dance numbers, including "Big Fat Bass
Big Fat Bass
"Big Fat Bass" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by will.i.am for Spears' seventh studio album, Femme Fatale . The electropop song speaks about the bass clef and contains a double entendre gender metaphor. "Big Fat Bass" received mixed reviews...
" which features will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
on the backdrops, and "Lace and Leather", in which she interacts with a member of the audience named Alex. The third section features an Egyptian/Indian theme with fireworks and acrobatics, and Spears is joined by Sabi
Sabi (singer)
Jenice Dena "Sab-bion" Portlock , also known as Sabi, is an American pop singer-songwriter, dancer and actress from Los Angeles, California. She was formerly known in the late 2000s as the lead singer of the Hip hop girl group The Bangz that split in early 2010...
during the performance of "(Drop Dead) Beautiful". The fourth segment, set in London, displays energetic routines and motorcycle costumes. The encore begins with a video interlude of Spears capturing the stalker, and continues with a Tokyo-inspired performance of "Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...
" in which she defeats a group of ninjas. The show ends with "Till the World Ends
Till the World Ends
"Till the World Ends" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, released as the second single from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. It was written and produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, with additional writing by Kesha and Alexander Kronlund, and additional production by...
", which features a guest appearance by Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
performing her verse from the Femme Fatale Remix of the song.
Reception
Jocelyn Vena of MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
stated, "Look out for cameos from Nicki Minaj and Sabi, killer dancing, beautifully designed costumes, elaborate stage setups and a set list that even the biggest Britney critic couldn't help but shake their groove thing to." Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the special a B+, and said that the live show "is a pop-music pleasure and a lesson in how to stage an arena tour. Watching it on TV — here in unbeweavably glorious HD — is certainly the next best thing." Stransky added that the special "conjures up a detail-focused experience that allows you to see the little things, from Spears' poor attempts at hiding her lip-synching to the sinewy wonders that are her dancers." Neal Justin of the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
said the special "proves once and for all that Spears has lost the ability to dance. The expensive set pieces are impressive, but the 'singer's' inability to shake her tail feather is downright criminal." Kelsea Stahler of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
criticized many elements of the show, including the storyline and the costumes, and added that "you [know] you [are] headed for disappointment, but it's Britney. You have to watch. [...] Your pimply, adolescent self said you'd love Britney forever no matter what; and part of you still believes that." Joshua Gillin of the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
said the show "woulda been sooo [sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
] hot, like, seven years ago. Now you can obsess over her obvious lip-synching in the comfort of your own home, and be glad you didn't pay $80 to see this."
Track listing
Notes(*) denotes remixer
(^) denotes remixer and additional producer
Charts
| DVDs Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Music DVD Chart | 2 |
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | November 21, 2011 |
| Australia | November 25, 2011 |
| United Kingdom | November 28, 2011 |