Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Britney’s back and she’s setting the Vegas standard

‘Britney: Piece of Me’ at Axis

Denise Truscello / WireImage / DeniseTruscello.net

Britney Spears’ hit resident show “Britney: Piece of Me,” pictured here Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, has been refreshed at Axis at Planet Hollywood.

There’s been no shortage of Britney-Celine comparisons since Britney: Piece of Me came into its own. Apart from their Vegas Strip residencies and loyal fans, the two artists don’t seem to have much in common. But as the Axis theater has duplicated the successful Colosseum blueprint of headliner production shows, Britney has emerged as the Celine-esque workhorse of the Planet Hollywood room; she may not be playing 200 shows a year like Celine did for her initial Caesars run, but she’s certainly the queen of her space. Even with Jennifer Lopez, Lionel Ritchie, Pitbull and now the Backstreet Boys sharing it, the Axis belongs to Britney.

The audience makes the show—that’s the thought I kept coming back when I witnessed Piece of Me for the first time in February. The show is full of big-hit moments, from Britney floating over the stage in a massive angel outfit during “Everytime”—which segues into an aggressive take on “Oops! … I Did it Again”—to a dayglo-neon, full-on ’80s dance freakout during Will.I.Am track “Scream & Shout.” And the audience stays standing and dancing for what seems like the entire show. There’s something about Britney and/or her music that resonates with her audience in an obsessive way that is atypical of Las Vegas Strip productions.

Click to enlarge photo

Britney Spears invited children serviced by the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation backstage before her show on October 21, 2016. Spears donated $200,000 to the foundation.

Also, she gets better as the show goes on. A recently added, random dance break to some of Britney’s favorite Missy Elliott songs doesn’t make a lot of sense but keeps the energy high. She clearly relishes the chance to perform her new material, and “Make Me,” the biggest hit from last year’s well-regarded album Glory, feels like a smash when she rolls it out in the second half of the show. The all-girl performance of “Breathe On Me” plays with traditional burlesque iconography, perhaps a tip of the hat to the fact that Crazy Girls is in the building. Most recent single “Slumber Party” spreads out into a slinky, island-vibe dance track, a great example of how Piece of Me makes good on its hype and combines concert and nightclub into a theatrical experience.

Right around the time I saw the show, Caesars Entertainment announced it had passed the $100 million threshold and sold more than 710,000 tickets since its debut at the very end of 2013. In the fall of 2015, her contract was extended through 2017, and the calendar currently has Britney booked through September 2. It seems a good bet another extension is on the way, if she’s still in love with Las Vegas. Britney has done a lot more than just taken the torch from Celine—her show is the current standard by which new headliners will be judged.

Britney: Piece of Me is back at the Axis on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays through April 8. Find tickets by calling 702-777-2782 or at ticketmaster.com.

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