The M+M's Tour

The M+M's Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Britney Spears. Spears expressed interested to tour again as early as February 2006. She started rehearsing for a show at House of Blues venues in secret, and pulled out of a surprise performance on April 25, 2007, at Los Angeles nightclub Forty Deuce. After a marquee reading "The M+M's" at the House of Blues in San Diego, California, appeared in late April 2007, media sources identified the act as Spears, and the show quickly sold out. The tour began in San Diego and marked the first time Spears performed live since The Onyx Hotel Tour in June 2004.

The show featured Spears accompanied by four female back-up dancers performing shortened versions of five songs, including hits such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Toxic". It displayed choreographed dance numbers and only one costume change. During the performance of "Breathe on Me", a male audience member participated onstage. The opening performance received mixed reviews from critics. Some said that Spears looked happy and in great shape, while others deemed the show as subpar. Scalpers outside the San Diego venue sold tickets with a face value of $35 for prices between $200 and $500.

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."^[2] 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 [she] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[1]

Spears took the stage accompanied by four blonde female dancers to perform a two-minute version of "...Baby One More Time", wearing a silver beaded bra, a pleated white skirt and white boots. It segued into a shortened version of "I'm a Slave 4 U". The performance was compared to the style of the Pussycat Dolls. The dancers left Spears alone onstage to perform a chair routine to "Breathe on Me" from In the Zone. They re-entered taking a male fan from the audience, while Spears disappeared for a costume change. She reappeared in a hot pink bra, white fur coat and jean skirt to perform "Do Somethin'". The show concluded with "Toxic", which featured Spears and her dancers performing in a Shakira style. Spears thanked the audience and left the stage. The show lasted about 13 minutes.^[5]

Teri VanHorn of MTV said that with "Her body newly toned and her smile beaming, she looked every bit like a woman who had emerged from her quarter-life crisis stronger than yesterday." She also said Spears performed with "a naughty, free-spirited attitude", as though she "had invited 900 friends to her dirty little dance party, and too bad for you if you couldn't roll with the fun."^[5] SuChin Pak, also from MTV stated the show was "no huge revelation", explaining, "It was not the kind of show that says: 'She's back. She's going to come out with the biggest album of her career.' Nor did it say that she's lost forever and we'll never see the old Britney back again. These are all really tiny baby steps."^[1] Thomas K. Arnold of USA Today said the show "turned out to be more rehearsal than comeback", although "all those post-rehab workouts were worth the effort."^[1] On May 2, 2007, scalpers outside the House of Blues in San Diego were selling tickets with a face value of $35 for prices between $200 and $500.^[1][5]

1. "...Baby One More Time"
2. "I'm a Slave 4 U"
3. "Breathe on Me"
4. "Do Somethin'"
5. "Toxic"

Source:^[5]