"Britney: Piece of Me" debuted at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino this weekend, almost 10 years to the day that Spears married a high school friend at a wedding chapel just down the Vegas strip.
Her marriage to Jason Alexander lasted just 55 hours before it was annulled, but Spears' new relationship with Vegas is planned for at least two years. She is reportedly earning $300,000 per show -- $30 million for the 100 shows through 2015.
Spears dances on a 100-foot stage, backed by 14 dancers and one of the world's largest video installations. She enters from a spherical cage that descends from above. Near the end, Spears leaps from a giant tree, flying across the stage on a cable.
While her microphone is live and Spears appears to be singing, much of what the audience hears is from pre-recorded tracks of 21 hits from her pop career.
A live four-piece band plays behind Spears, visible on scaffolding at the rear of the stage. But evidence that much of it is pre-produced comes when Will.i.am appears on video to perform "Scream & Shout" with Spears.
Backing tracks for vocals are not new or unexpected, considering that Spears is running around the stage for most of the 90-minute show.
The 4,600 people attending her opening night Friday seemed willing to suspend any disbelief. They also mouthed the familiar lyrics to "Baby One More Time," "Oops I Did It Again," "Toxic," "Circus," "Womanizer" and "Slave 4 U." She includes songs from her just-released album "Britney Jean."
Unlike most Vegas shows, the theater seats are almost unnecessary. The crowd stood through most of the show as if they were in a nightclub dancing to a DJ.
Planet Hollywood describes the remodeled Axis Theater as "part nightclub and part theater." The VIP section includes bottle service, tables and a dance floor.
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