Britney Spears tour adds new dates in Europe as North American run wraps

With just a few more concerts booked for North America this spring, pop princess Britney Spears is looking to expand her European expedition this summer. Originally limited to an eight-show residency at the O2 Arena in London, England, the Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 Tour will now cover the continent at least through a July 26 show at O2 World in Berlin, Germany.

The entire European venture currently stands at 21 dates, including two-night engagements on June 19-20 at the O2 in Dublin, Ireland, and July 5-6 at Bercy in Paris, France. Other gigs include a July 21 show at Olympiiski in Moscow, Russia, with more Eastern European dates coming before the close of the week, according to Spears’ official Web site.

When initial plans for the Circus tour were revealed late last year, a representative for Spears reportedly stated that the singer’s European tour would be confined to her June residency in London. However, that speculation ended with the addition of a second venue in England — a June 17 concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena, first confirmed in February.

Spears launched her North American tour leg on March 3 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, LA, marking her official concert comeback after a series of well-publicized personal breakdowns. When the trek closes May 5 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, Spears will have performed nearly 40 concerts across the U.S. and Canada.

The AEG Live-produced tour supports Spears’ sixth studio album “Circus.” Following its December 2 release, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was RIAA-certified Gold by the end of January 2009.

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