Still-hot Spears is heading for a crossroads as her fans mature

One of Britney Spears' stage costumes already is hanging in a museum -- the Experience Music Project, as part of the current pop artifacts exhibit -- but the blond superstar is far from over the hill.

COMING UP

BRITNEY SPEARS, NIKKA COSTA AND THIRD PHASE

WHAT: Pop/R&B concert

WHEN: Wednesday night at 7:30

WHERE: Tacoma Dome

TICKETS: Sold out

Spears drew a lot of media attention last fall when her current album, "Britney," failed to sell as well as the previous "Oops! ... I Did It Again." Even so, "Britney" sold nearly 750,000 copies in its debut week last November, blowing past the Dave Matthews Band's "Everyday" without breaking a sweat, and knocking Michael Jackson's "Invincible" to the No. 3 spot.

The album has since sold more than 5 million copies. But it's important to note that her previous two albums sold a combined 40 million.

Tickets to Spears' latest Northwest appearance Wednesday night at the Tacoma Dome sold briskly when the show went on sale earlier this year, shortly after her film debut in the girl flick "Crossroads." Tickets are now sold out. Sharing the bill are Nikka Costa and Third Phase.

Last year was a big one for the Louisiana-bred pop diva, who sang at the Super Bowl, signed a promotional deal with Pepsi and turned 20 with more control of her platinum-selling career than ever before.

But as her fans mature, Spears faces a growing challenge to keep her music relevant. An energetic entertainer but less-than-spectacular singer, Spears knows she has to evolve as a performer in a way that looks credible. She likes to use the word "real" to describe herself and her music, but she'll have to prove it to a generation of fans now entering their 20s.


	Pop diva Britney Spears will -- for the first time -- perform some of her own material on her "Dream Within a Dream" tour, which kicks off today in Las Vegas. KEN SETTLE

Spears, who comes across as level-headed and unfazed by fame, surprised fans last winter with her appearance on the American Music Awards, where she performed her coming-of-age anthem "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman." She was dressed in a simple evening gown instead of the midriff-baring outfits she is known for.

Something similar happened at the Grammy Awards, where Spears appeared onstage in a conservative red dress to present the pop performance by a duo or group award to U2 with TV's Matthew Perry.

But Spears, who broke up with boyfriend Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync earlier this year, also delights in wearing trashy, tasteless stuff to get a reaction. At last year's Billboard Awards, she deliberately dressed tacky in orange hat and coat and fishnet stockings -- and landed on several media worst-dressed lists.

Her new album, sexier than her last, blends pop, R&B and hip-hop. Spears, whose image blends vamp and virgin, did some of the songwriting this time and is performing her own material for the first time on the 30-date "Dream Within a Dream" tour, which opens today at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The current tour features songs from Spears' three albums, "... Baby One More Time," "Oops!" and "Britney," which has spawned the singles "Overprotected," "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," co-written with fellow pop singer Dido. She'll also sing the rock classic, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," featured on the album (the song is a personal favorite that she occasionally sings at an L.A. karaoke bar frequented by other celebrities).

The show boasts a 153-foot-long multilevel stage equipped with runways and more than 250 lights and lasers. Fans expect flamboyant productions from Spears, who travels with a battalion of backup singers, dancers and musicians -- and lots of colorful costumes. It'll be interesting to see if she also brings one of the grown-up evening gowns she has worn on recent TV awards shows.

P-I pop music critic Gene Stout can be reached at 206-448-8383 or genestout@seattlepi.com.

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