Britney Spears 'Excited to Be Back' as She Kicks Off Piece of Me Tour in Maryland
Britney Spears returned to the stage on Thursday for the first stop in her highly anticipated Piece of Me Tour.
The 36-year-old singer and mother of two performed at the MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland for night one of a two-night stay.
It’s Spears’ first tour since ending her four-year Las Vegas residency on New Year’s Eve, portions of which were shown on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest to the delight of fans.
Prior to the show, a source told PEOPLE, “She is very excited to be back on stage and bringing this show to the East Coast and the UK and Europe. She loves performing for her fans!”
Spears hit the stage in a series of sparkly and saucy ensembles and beamed at the crowd, who could not get enough of the pop star.
The music icon hasn’t been resting on her laurels following her residency, with the star working out daily keeping her in tip-top shape.
And her commitment to fitness showed as she danced her heart out alongside her plentiful backup dancers.
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Spears announced the tour in January, tweeting, “I’m so excited to announce that we’re bringing the #PieceOfMe tour to select cities in North America, Europe and the UK! See you guys this summer.”
Her tour will bring her up and down the east coast, with stops in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Florida through the end of July.
She’ll then hop a flight abroad, where she’ll visit the UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and France.
Since leaving behind her residency in January, Spears has been laying low, spending time with sons Sean Preston, 12, and Jayden James, 11. and boyfriend Sam Asghari.
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In addition to winning Best of Las Vegas Awards honors like best resident performer/headliner, best production show, best bachelorette party and best bachelor party, Spears’ Las Vegas show helped usher in a new era for residency acts on the strip.
The city was once known as a place for older artists to live out their glory years. Thanks in part to Spears, Vegas reinvented itself as a place to see top younger artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys, Bruno Mars, all of whom currently have residency shows. Lady Gaga announced that she, too, will begin a Vegas residency in late 2018.
