Rebecca Dominguez of Tacoma arrived at the Tacoma Dome at 6:30 a.m., nearly 12 hours before the gates opened, to see a pop star she already has seen in concert nine times. “To me, it’s just dedication,” she said of her devotion to seeing Britney Spears, who performed Wednesday as part of a 39-show North American tour. “I know it sounds crazy.”
Spears is touring to support her seventh studio album, “Femme Fatale,” which came out this year. Summer Spencer of DuPont and Carley Irvin of Steilacoom said they began waiting in line at 2:30 p.m. in hopes of winning backstage passes. Others, such as Andrew Myrick of Tacoma, were “too excited to stay at home” and arrived at the Dome early for the 7 p.m. concert.
Some fans showed up dressed in famous Spears costumes, such as what she wore during her 2009 “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” tour, the diamond costume from her “Toxic” video and the schoolgirl garb from her “... Baby One More Time” video. Fans praised how Spears has evolved, musically and culturally, since her pop career began in 1999. “She has to change with the music culture,” Alexis Uthman of Tacoma said. “You have to bring in a new fan base with a new CD.”
“Times have changed,” said Lexi Gary of Auburn. “She doesn’t want to lose her fan base.”Spears is courting a new fan base by touring with opener Nicki Minaj, a hip-hop artist. “Britney and Nicki are the two greatest female artists right now,” Rogelio Sencion of Wenatchee said. “They’re the femme fatales.”The pair’s tour began June 16 in Sacramento, Calif., and is set to end Aug. 25 in Charlotte, N.C. Spears will then head to Europe, in which she will play 26 concerts.