The M+M's Tour - Background and Development

Background and Development

"She wants people to forget she's famous for shaving her head and going into rehab. She's famous for 'Baby One More Time' and for being a dancer and being sexy and being a professional music artist. This was just a teaser, and a way for her to get some of the nerves out of the way."

—Craig Marks, editor-in-chief of Blender talking about the tour.

The shows took place against a backdrop of Spears' life struggles the previous few years that had made her fodder for tabloid reports. These included a two-day marriage, a stormy two-year marriage and divorce and having two children, shaving her head, entering rehabilitation for substance abuse, and various run-ins with the paparazzi.

In an interview with People in February 2006, Spears explained that she was anxious to resume her career, saying, "This may sound weird, but I miss traveling. I miss the road, seeing different places and being with the dancers and having fun. That feeling of being on the stage, knowing it's your best — I love that. I needed a break. I needed to be hungry again." On April 26, 2007, Ivan Kane, the owner of Los Angeles nightclub Forty Deuce, told E! News that Spears had pulled out of a surprise performance at the venue the previous night. Kane stated that during rehearsal, she was "looking very hot, with four backup dancers and sang three songs. They ran through the set several times, the choreography was smokin', and she sounded great." Marc Malkin of E! News said that Spears thought she might need more time to prepare. He also reported that she was planning to tour House of Blues venues in the United States. Spears wanted to keep the rehearsals a secret, and did not even inform the owners of the different dance studios the reason for the preparation. In late April 2007, a marquee reading "The M+M's" appeared at the House of Blues in San Diego. Several gossip websites and local media sources identified the act as Spears, prompting the show to quickly sell out. On May 1, 2007, a front-page story on The San Diego Union-Tribune fueled the speculation. The same day, the doors opened at 19:00 PST (03:00 UTC), and Spears took the stage at 22:00 PST (06:00 UTC). It marked the first time Spears was on stage since her knee injury caused The Onyx Hotel Tour to be canceled in June 2004.