As a writer and radio personality, meeting celebrities is part of my work world, but getting a chance to meet Britney Spears ranks right up there.
Brit did a meet and greet with some of her fans in Minneapolis while on her Femme Fatale tour, something she hadn’t done in years!
While waiting backstage amid tight security, Spears’ people kept reminding us not to reach toward our pockets while she was in the room. We were also instructed to take everything out of our pockets and leave those items with a security guard.
Personal cameras were forbidden, but we did get a pop princess photo op with a promise that the image would be forwarded to us. We were warned that if alcohol was smelled on us or we appeared intoxicated we would be promptly removed.
It was a little intense to say the least. As people filtered in and out of the room, we overheard a lot of interesting comments: “She doesn’t speak,” as well as “I’m not even sure that was really her,” to the most comment theme, “well that was strange.”
Strange was an understatement. After sharing with her that it would be my unborn child’s first Britney concert, she literally never made eye contact, did not shake hands, and simply whispered: “That’s nice.” During our quicky photo session, she kept her hands tightly locked and clutched to her body.
Can you say … socially awkward? Yep! The good news is that she did put on a great show, but it almost appears that she doesn’t love what she does anymore.
Sitting front row gave me a great vantage point. She had all the dance moves down and she was on rhythm, but she appeared to be simply going through the motions.
The experience was surreal, but looking back at ‘our photo’, she looks so tired. She’s literally been performing her whole life and has no real privacy. Even backstage she was surrounded and somewhat controlled by what appeared to be hundreds of handlers. Kinda sad…
More photos from Minneapolis below:
Photos: Danni Starr