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Opening Acts

Pussycat Dolls (North America: Leg 1
Ciara (London)
Jordin Sparks (North America: Leg 2) (select dates)
Kristinia DeBarge (North America: Leg 2) (select dates)
One Call (North America: Leg 2) (select dates)
Girlicious (Canada) (select dates)
DJ Havana Brown (Europe and Australia) (select dates)
Sliimy (Paris)
Cascada (Berlin)
Big Apple Circus

About The Tour

The Circus Starring Britney Spears (commonly referred to as the Circus Tour) was the sixth concert tour by American singer Britney Spears to promote her sixth studio album Circus. Rumors of a tour arose as early as October 2007, after Spears released her fifth studio album Blackout; however, it was cancelled due to unknown reasons.

The tour was officially announced in December 2008, with dates for American and British venues revealed. The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. Magician Ed Alonzo joined Spears during the second act. The setlist was composed generally from her albums In the Zone, Blackout and Circus. Spears announced she would tour Australia for the first time in June 2009.

The tour was described as a "pop extravaganza". It was divided into five segments. The Circus featured a metamorphosis of Spears from as a ringmaster to a slave, while being surrounded by different performers. House of Fun (Anything Goes) displayed a series of upbeat numbers with different themes, including magic and military.

It ended with a Bollywood-inspired performance and a ballad in which Spears performed while floating on a giant umbrella. Freakshow/Peepshow featured a video interlude set to heavy metal music, and continued with dark and sexual performances. Electro Circ displayed energetic dance routines, and the encore consisted of a video montage of Spears's music videos and a police-themed performance. Some changes were made to the show throughout the tour. Several songs were remixed; Spears also performed "Mannequin" in selected European shows and covers of Duffy and Alanis Morissette in some North American dates.

The Circus Starring Britney Spears generated positive to mixed reception from critics. While some praised its aesthetics and deemed it as an entertaining show, others criticized Spears' lack of involvement during some segments. The tour was a commercial success, with a total gross of $131.8 million. A great number of tickets were sold within a week of the tour's announcement, which prompted supporters to add more dates.

The tour also broke attendance records in many cities and all the North American shows were sold out. It became the fifth highest grossing tour of 2009, and the sixth highest grossing tour ever by a female artist. The show generated controversy on the Australian leg after a reporter said that a great number of fans had walked out during the performances.

Set List

Act 1: The Circus

"Welcome to the Circus" (video introduction)
"Circus"
"Piece of Me"
"Thunderstorm" (performance interlude)
"Radar"

Act 2: House of Fun (Anything Goes)

"Martial Arts Segue" (performance interlude) (features LAZRtag Remix of "Gimme More")
"Ooh Ooh Baby" / "Hot as Ice"
"Boys" (The Co-Ed Remix)
"Sound-off" (performance interlude)
"If U Seek Amy"
"You Oughta Know" (performed from September 5 to 18, 2009)
"Me Against the Music" (Bollywood Remix)
"Everytime"

Act 3: Freakshow/Peepshow

"Everybody's Looking for Something" (Video Interlude) (features "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)")
"Freakshow"
"Get Naked (I Got a Plan)"
"Mannequin" (performed from July 5 to 26, 2009)
"Britney's Hotline" (performance interlude) (contains elements of "Breathe on Me", with excerpts of "Boys", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Gimme More")
"Breathe on Me" / "Touch of My Hand" ("Touch of My Hand" was not performed during shows in Europe, Australia, and most shows during the second US leg due to dancer injury)

Act 4: Electro Circ

"Band Jam Segue" (band interlude) (contains elements of "Circus")
"Do Somethin'"
"I'm a Slave 4 U" (contains intro from "Light Your Ass On Fire")
"Heartbeat" (dance interlude) (featuring "Lollipop", "American Boy", "Don't Stop the Music", "Closer" and other songs)
"Toxic"
"...Baby One More Time"

Encore

"Break the Ice" (video interlude) (contains elements from "Run the Show", with excerpts from "Gimme More" and "I'm a Slave 4 U")
"Womanizer"
"Circus" (Reprise: The Bow)

Additional Notes

On March 8, 2009 at the Tampa, FL show, after finishing her performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" Spears suffered a wardrobe malfunction. She didn't realize her microphone was still on, and shouted "Okay, my pussy is hanging out of this fucking --", which was clearly heard throughout the audience. The incident has received notable attention from many blogs, and has received thousands of views on YouTube.
On the March 23, 2009 show, the Pussycat Dolls did not perform due to lead singer Nicole Scherzinger being ill. The show started with the Big Apple Circus's performance.
At the May 2, 2009 show in Connecticut, while performing the encore of "Womanizer", an intoxicated fan jumped on stage and startled Spears when he came face to face with her. Spears, frightened, called for help from her back up dancers who took the man offstage. Spears momentarily froze, but continued back in motion with the performance after the song's breakdown.
At the April 8, 2009 show in Vancouver, the show was halted after "Radar" due to ventillation issues. An announcement was made through the speakers that the audience should extinguish all cigarettes.
At the September 27, 2009 performance in Las Vegas, the man pulled from the audience for "Breathe on Me" was Lance Bass.

Postponed and Cancelled Dates

The March 26 show in Uncasville, Connecticut was postponed to May 3, 2009, due to there not being enough time to transfer the staging equipment from the previous city.
The July 24 show in Warsaw, Poland was cancelled by the Polish promoter due to an unresolved contractual dispute. Britney issued an apology to her Polish fans on her website stating that she regretted not being able to visit Poland during the tour and that she hoped to visit Warsaw in the near future.