Big Comeback In Big Easy

The following italicized article is from www.nydailynews.com:

It's show time, y'all!

Britney's back and the whole world is watching.

Still on daddy's tight leash, and after months of hard work getting her voice and bangin' body back, everyone's favorite popwreck hits the stage in New Orleans Tuesday night for the opening of her 44-concert make-or-break tour.

There's a lot at stake for the singer after her years in the wilderness of the bizarre.

"From the moment tickets went on sale, buzz was strong this wasn't going to be a tour that failed," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of concert tracker Pollstar. "A lot of shows are sold out or close to it."

He, like others in the music industry, call the pop star's recovery "remarkable."

Spears, 27, is riding a wave of goodwill. Her latest single "Circus" hit No. 1 on the Top 40 radio charts last Friday, according to research firm Radio & Records.

That comes after her now-platinum album "Circus" debuted at No. 1, making Spears the first female ever to have five No. 1 album debuts.

"She's been able to slowly put her personal life back together," said Sharon Dastur, program director at Z-100 in New York.

"I think we saw that with the pictures of her with her kids at Christmas. She's back to normal, has a successful album out and people want to be part of the ride," she said.

"The anticipation for this show is more than we've seen in a really long time," Dastur added.

Just ask mega-fan Doug Rodick, who paid $150 for his ticket and will pile into rented limo busses Tuesday night with 20 pals, including the entire staff of the Headset salon where he works as a hairdresser in New Orleans.

"I got a text message from a friend at 6:30 this morning announcing she (Britney) made it into town. We're hearing she has a fleet of circus animals on tour with her," said a breathless Rodick, 30. "I just hope she doesn't crack up and miss the show."

Rodick was crushed when Spears cancelled her 2004 concert at the New Orleans Arena, where her "Circus" starts.

"She said she had a knee injury, but we all knew it was Kevin Federline," he said, dismissing Spears' ex-husband as a distraction. "She's a great entertainer. I don't expect her to be musically that great, but I expect a great show. She'll dance and sing and shake her ass off."

Brit's recent success is a far cry from her public meltdown in 2007, when she shaved her head in public, attacked a paparazzo's car with an umbrella and checked in and out of rehab. She hit rock bottom a year later when she was twice hauled off for involuntary psychiatric evaluation.

The mother of two has been improving ever since dad Jamie Spears took control of her affairs in a strict, court-ordered conservatorship last year.

Spears is scheduled to play the Nassau Coliseum March 11 and 23 and the Prudential Center in Newark on March 13 and 14.

Source: NY Post