The Femme Fatale Tour was the eighth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). It was officially announced in March 2011, initially with dates for North American venues revealed. The tour was originally planned as a co-headlining tour with Enrique Iglesias, but he canceled only hours after the announcement. The show was inspired by the concept of the “femme fatale” and iconic femmes fatales throughout the ages. The setlist was mostly composed of songs from the album Femme Fatale, although Spears also performed hits from her previous albums for her fans. Zaldy Goco designed the costumes. In July 2011, Spears announced her plans of a South American leg on the tour, in territories she either had never been-to or had not played for over a decade. Spears has named the Femme Fatale Tour the “best” show of her career.
The tour, divided in five segments, portrays a story in which Spears is a secret agent, who is chased by a stalker named Tormento Lancie (played by Rudolf Martin). The first section features her escaping from prison, along with other female inmates. The second segment displays upbeat dance numbers, and ends with a performance inspired by Marilyn Monroe. The third section features an Egyptian theme, with fireworks and acrobatics. The fourth segment displays energetic routines and motorcycle costumes. The encore begins with a video interlude of Spears capturing the stalker, and is followed by two performances in which she defeats a group of ninjas.
The Femme Fatale Tour received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Some described it as Spears' most entertaining show and praised her performance, while others criticized her dancing and lack of audience interaction. The tour, in total, grossed $6.2 million in the first ten shows, and was included on Pollstar’s Top 100 North American Tours list.
An unofficial, high-quality recording of the Las Vegas show was leaked onto YouTube in July 2011; it was removed after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) threatened legal action against the site, in order to obtain information on the uploader. 3ality Digital filmed a special of the tour during the Toronto shows, in August 2011, in 2-D and 3-D. The special, titled Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour, aired on Epix in the United States. BBC Worldwide acquired the rights to both the 2-D and 3-D versions outside the United States.
According to Pollstar, the 39 dates in North America grossed $38.3 million, with 423,017 tickets sold. Internationally, the tour was the eleventh highest-grossing tour of 2011, with a gross of $68.7 million. 697,957 fans attended the shows, worldwide, with an average attendance of 8,724 (some venues were considerably larger), paying an average of $98.43.
Background
In an interview on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on March 4, 2011, Spears stated she would tour the United States in the "early summer" in support of Femme Fatale. On March 29, 2011, following her performances on Good Morning America, she announced a co-headlining tour with Enrique Iglesias, starting in June 2011. Hours after the announcement, it was reported by Billboard that Iglesias had pulled out of the tour. Ray Wedell of Billboard speculated that the reason may have been that Spears was deemed by news outlets as the headliner, while Iglesias was considered the opening act. The first twenty-six North American dates were also announced on March 29, 2011. The opening acts were announced on April 12, 2011. Spears stated, "This is the Femme Fatale tour and I'm thrilled to have Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys, and Nervo join me and get everyone on the dance floor. Can't wait to take the Femme Fatales on the road." Tickets for select markets went on sale on April 30, 2011 via Ticketmaster and tour promoter Live Nation's websites.