Australian Leg Controversies
Before the first of the Australian shows, Minister for Fair Trading for New South Wales Virginia Judge, said she was aware that Spears would lipsync during the concerts and was considering to include disclaimers on promotional materials and tickets, indicating that portions of the show would be pre-recorded. This measures would mean a change in the country's legislation similar to the debacle of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Judge further explained her position saying, "Let's be clear – live means live. If you are spending up to $200 I think you deserve better than a film clip". Tour director Steve Dixon defended Spears, claiming, "This is a pop spectacular, this is a showband show. You come for the experience. There is a lot to see about this show, there's nothing like this in the world. Britney Spears will entertain you, that's what people come for. We absolutely give them a show". After opening night in Perth, The Advertiser writer Rebekah Devlin reported that a number of fans had walked out of the show. They were apparently "disappointed" and "outraged" regarding Spears's lip syncing and subdued dancing. Australian tour promoter Paul Dainty talked about the situation saying,
"It's the biggest lie I've ever heard. I'm so angry. We can take heat if there's something wrong and people can review shows badly – that's something you have to live with – but to say people stormed out of the show was an absolute fabrication. Britney is aware of all this and she's extremely upset by it. She's a human being. I'm embarrassed, with such a big international entourage here with Britney, to be part of the Australian media when I see that kind of totally inaccurate reporting. It's been all over the internet for nine months, the inference is that we tried to hide this. It's been the opposite. This show is about an incredible spectacle, which it is".
Spears's manager Adam Leber responded in his Twitter account, saying, "It's unfortunate that one journalist in Perth didn't enjoy the show last night. Fortunately the other 18,272 fans in attendance did". Spears's official website also posted a list of positive reviews from a number of fans. Burswood Dome also issued a statament reading, "Last night's concert (Friday) saw record crowds turn out for her first performance in Perth and from Burswood's perspective the event was a huge success. Early media reports that hundreds of fans left the concert early cannot be substantiated and Burswood has received no complaints about the concert". Finally, Spears addressed the situation according to BBC Online. She was quoted as saying, "I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show. Some reporters have said they love it and some don't. I came to Australia for my fans". The negative media attention continued after her show in Melbourne when it was alleged that fans had placed tickets for the remaining Australian shows on sale on the online shopping website eBay, for as little as 99 cents. However, Dainty said that the holders of the tickets were not Spears's fans, stating "They're just profiteers. They buy tickets for $200 and think they that when the concerts sell-out they will offload them for $500".
Read more about this topic: The Circus Starring Britney Spears
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