Britney Spears tour announces North American dates for spring ‘Circus’

Pop princess Britney Spears unveiled her new album today, supplemented by a host of confirmed dates for her spring 2009 tour of North America. The Circus Starring Britney Spears opens on March 3 at the New Orleans Arena in the singer’s native Louisiana and continues its coast-to-coast circuit through the April 28 closer at Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL.

The 27-city arena jaunt will make stops along the way for a March 16 concert at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA, a March 30 performance at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, and an April 16 show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Pussycat Dolls will provide support for all dates on the North American tour leg.

Four dates in Canada are booked for the run, including a March 18 stop at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON, and an April 8 show at GM Place in Vancouver, BC. Two European dates have already been announced for the singer’s world tour: back-to-back shows at the O2 Arena in London on June 3 and 4.

Each stop on the arena tour will be performed like a genuine circus in-the-round with limited “ringside seats” and general admission floor access, according to show details on Ticketmaster. Spears’s performance is being choreographed by Wade Robson, with rehearsals beginning next month. AEG Live is producing the tour.

Tickets for all dates of the tour are currently available through a special presale that ends December 5 at 10 p.m. Fans also have the option to buy “Toxic VIP Experience” or “In The Zone” ticket packages. The packages must be purchased in pairs and are available for pick-up through will-call on the night of the event only.

Spears is supporting her sixth studio album, “Circus,” which was released today (December 2), the performer’s 27th birthday. Digital music store iTunes had been offering a special pre-sale for the record in the weeks leading up to today’s release.

Britney Spears itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)