Britney Grows Up!

Allstate Arena
Rosemont
March 22, 2000

Story and Photo by Phil Bonyata

Britney Spears, the butt of every "respectable" rock critic and musician everywhere, paraded herself and her well choreographed dance crew on stage at the Allstate Arena last night. Her teenage fans and many of their moms, yes and some dads, too were in preteen rock heaven. Spears opened with "You Drive me Crazy" which mixes dance-pop beats with effects-laden vocals. On "Stronger" Spears displayed more of a sex kitten in the making rather than the innocent teen she sometimes contradictorily portrays.
Dressed in a skin-tight white sequined jump suite, and beautiful blonde locks swinging to every beat change, Britney danced with such choreographed abandon that her piercing nearly shot out of her belly button. But, frankly the concept of well choreographed background dancers is becoming tired and old. All the older divas like Cher, Bette Midler and Madonna have been doing the same things for years now.
Spears nailed down a majority of hits from her smash debut album ...Baby One More Time. Critics shouldn't be so harsh on her. She plays fun and bouncy pop tunes geared towards pre and early teen girls. So all you critics out there lighten up, stick on ...Baby One More Time and don't look down because that just might be your foot tappin' away!