Britney Spears announces summer 2011 tour, loses Enrique Iglesias’ support

This morning, March 29, Britney Spears announced plans for a summer tour of North America — her first since 2009. But before the tour even had a chance to get off the ground, it has already undergone a major shake-up.

Latin and dance pop star Enrique Iglesias was supposed to appear as a special guest with full production status on the tour, according to an early report from Billboard.biz. But just hours after that announcement, the son of iconic singer Julio Iglesias has reportedly pulled out from the tour.

It’s unclear why Iglesias has withdrawn, or whether Spears’ tour itinerary will undergo any changes as a result. As of now, 26 arena dates are scheduled from June 17 at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, CA, through August 13 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON.

Complete ticketing information for the tour has not yet been announced. But a single event listing on Ticketmaster.com shows public onsales starting April 9 for Spears’ August 2 concert in Nassau, NY. Tickets to that performance, according to the listing, will range in price from $96 to $346 (before fees).

Spears’ outing also includes concerts on June 25 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV; July 1 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC; July 8 at United Center in Chicago, IL; July 31 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC; August 8 at TD Garden in Boston, MA; and August 11 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC.

Today marks the national release of Spears’ seventh studio album album, “Femme Fatale.” She last headlined the 2009 Circus Tour, which began in North America with a two-month spring run and returned in late summer for a 20-city encore. The singer also completed several international stints with her Circus Tour throughout 2009.

Her domestic tour legs landed Spears at the top of TicketNews’ exclusive concert rankings from the end of 2008 (when ticket sales began) through early 2009. Spears remained ranked among the Top 10 concerts for much of that spring and summer, as well.

Iglesias, meanwhile, is presently headlining his own tour of Europe through mid-April. Iglesias also has some scattered overseas dates later in the spring, including a brief June 8-11 stint in the UK, which would have given Iglesias just days to prepare for the start of Spears’ tour.

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