Can Britney Spears Recover from Her VMA Performance?
Sunday night was supposed to be Britney Spears’ big comeback.
Her VMA showing marked her first real performance since, well, I can’t even remember. And it was a dismal failure. For once, all the reviewers — from the bloggers to the television personalities to the mainstream print publications — agreed. Britney Spears sucked hardcore.
The first problem is that her performance was over-hyped. She’d been driving (and drinking) all over L.A. with illusionist Criss Angel, who was supposed to be creating a visually stunning comeback performance with her. For reasons that haven’t been officially announced — some sources are reporting that MTV couldn’t get insurance for Britney’s risky on-stage tricks, while others are saying MTV felt the performance would be too controversial — Britney ended up doing a very standard stage show. The deck was stacked against her from the start; people expected smoke and mirrors, and what Britney had was a few back-up dancers. But what really hurt her fans, myself included, is that it felt like Britney didn’t even try.
A website recently collected the YouTube videos of Britney’s past VMA performances. I actually got chills watching them. Say what you want about Britney’s vocal abilities, or about her personal life or antics, but this young woman used to be an absolutely phenomenal performer. She connected with her audience immediately, and she always put on an engaging, high-energy show. It’s the Britney we were all so excited to see again — finally! — on Sunday night. But that Britney never showed up. The woman on the stage was just going through the motions, as if none of it meant anything. And that is what has her fans angry.
So: can Britney Spears recover from this? The question I’m asking myself after the VMAs is more along the lines of does Britney Spears want to recover from this? I wonder if she’s just given up. I can’t say I blame her. The unwavering media scrutiny, the failed marriages, the allegations of terrible mothering. If I were Britney, I’d look back at my past performances and think to myself, “So this is what all that hard work earned me? F— this.” I think Britney Spears got over us way before we got over her. She’s been going through the motions, because this is the only work she knows how to do, but her heart hasn’t been in it for some time now.
I’d like to say there’s no recovering from this for Britney, but I think there is. I think that whenever she’s ready to show up and put on an amazing show again, we’ll be ready to watch it and cheer her on. We watched Britney grow up. We listened to her albums, cheered at her performances, read about her in magazines, saw her on TV, and, if you can believe it, some people even saw Crossroads. She was the face of a generation. We idolized her. And then we watched her fall apart. But if there’s anything the public loves as much as a good trainwreck, it’s a great comeback. When Britney’s ready to do that, the audience will still be there.
For now, I think Britney would be wise to move away from Los Angeles, perhaps back home to Louisiana. Spend some time with your parents and your kids, Britney. Stay out of the bar. Get therapy. Get your head on straight. Figure out what you want to do with your life, and then do it with the drive and ferocity we used to see in you. If it’s singing and dancing, that’s great, we’ll be here to watch you. If it’s something else entirely, that’s great, too. But I think it’s clear, darling, to everyone but you, that whatever you’re doing right now isn’t working.
