Britney Spears has found at least one defender for lip synching spectacle during a concert in Australia. Singer/songwriter John Mayer has blasted fans who are calling for a refund.
Mayer also happens to be in Australia promoting his latest album and lashed out on Twitter.
“If you’re shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you,” he said in a somewhat cryptic post on his Twitter account.
The ‘Womanizer’ star’s show in Perth sparked the outrage because she was not singing live for her whole performance. The outpouring shocked Britney, who reportedly hid in her hotel room on Saturday (Nov. 7), following her performance the night before.
“Britney is aware of all this and she’s extremely upset by it,” a rep for the star said. If she’s going to fake it, she should at least practice lip-syncing and do a better job of it.
Fans also protested the high ticket prices and robotic, “impersonal” nature of the show. Spears clearly seemed to be going through the motions during the concert.
“It was so impersonal. She did not interact with her audience. There were no big TV screens projecting the action, so if you didn’t know Britney, you might have even doubted it was her,” said concertgoer Wendy Di Renzo, 36.
Complaints against the “Gimme More” singer also included that she never referred to Perth by name, instead giving a generic welcome to fans, saying: “What’s up Australia?”
“I want my money back,’ declared another disgruntled fan. “I want her to sing properly. The ticket cost me $200 and she lip-synched the whole thing.”
The outrage was so widespread, Australian lawmakers jumped on the bandwagon.
Pols in three states – Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales – have now called for a law to force music promoters to disclose whether a concert will be live or lip-synched beforehand.
Britney will next perform in Melbourne on November 11, and no word yet on what she intends to do.
Her concerts are heavy on dance numbers that may have required her to lip-sync some songs. Other performers with similar acts, such as Madonna, have also been accused of lip-syncing at times.
Mayer is known for his quirky blog and Twitter postings, and is frequently outspoken on a wide range of subjects.