Wednesday, July 14, 1999

She drives them crazy

Britney Spears shows her fans what she's got

Britney Spears, the new teen queen of pop music, strutted her considerable stuff last night -- breast implants or no breast implants -- during a sold-out show at the Molson Amphitheatre.

The 17-year-old Spears, who launched her first-ever North American tour in Washington last week, revved up the crowd of mainly young females with an impressive arsenal that included six energetic and talented dancers, a five-piece band, two backup singers and -- would you believe? -- five costume changes.

The flashy combination went a long way to easing the delivery of the mostly lightweight pop tunes from her debut album, ... Baby One More Time, which is approaching sales of five-times platinum in Canada since its January release.

Spears, who has been the subject of breast implant rumours (which she has denied), recalled Janet Jackson or even Madonna in their early, more awkward years. She even went so far as to cover Madonna's Material Girl and Jackson's Black Cat and Nasty.

Not that the tummy-baring and pony-tailed Spears didn't possess enough stage confidence to make her former pals from her days as a Mouseketeer in Florida proud.

Appearing initially at the top of a staircase in a white latex suit and pink latex tube top, Spears began her hour-long set with just a taste of the title track from her album.

Major flirtation

The tease then turned into major flirtation with an audience member when she serenaded a male fan, dragged out of the crowd by two of her female dancers, with the ballad Born To Make You Happy.

After Spears changed into her second outfit of denim overalls, she sat down on the staircase to sing From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart to a former, unnamed beau. But just as the audience had settled in their seats, the singer returned in an eye-popping ensemble of black leather bustier, short shorts and boots for the Madonna and Jackson covers, plus Sonny and Cher's The Beat Goes On.

Unfortunately, Spears was at her sappiest when she next attempted Journey's Open Arms, explaining that's how she felt towards her fans because "you embraced me and for that I am so grateful."

The final two songs of the night -- Spears biggest hits so far, Sometimes and ... Baby One More Time -- went a long way to erasing that painful memory. Especially the encore, which saw the singer change into her now-famous "naughty schoolgirl" outfit of black, thigh-high stockings, a sequined plaid skirt and a shiny pink top that barely covered her black bra and ... you know.

Opening acts

Opening for Spears were no fewer than three acts, including up-and-coming Montreal duo Sky, made up of singer-songwriter-producers and multi-instrumentalists James and Antoine.

Their polished R&B- and urban-flavoured pop was reminiscent of '70s-era Earth, Wind & Fire-style funk, but with a considerably less flamboyant delivery.

During their half-hour set, Sky and their four-person band played selections from their double-platinum debut, Piece Of Paradise, including the three hit singles -- Push, Love Song and Some Kinda Wonderful.

James, who had been suffering from a cold last week, was less animated than his dancing, hip-shaking partner Antoine, who picked up a bass when not singing harmony. Not that James' lack of movement seemed to matter to the audience, who designated him the heartthrob of the duo, judging from their screams.

Set List		Concert rating