Britney’s Sweet Side
Insider had a ringside seat — literally — for Britney Spears’ much-anticipated homecoming concert in Los Angeles. The new face of Candies had Tinseltown in a frenzy, and the Iconix Brand Group marketing team set up shop in the concert hall to capitalize on their star’s sold-out run.

At the plush, pink-and-white Candies VIP lounge on opening night, Insider was greeted by a DJ and a selection of sweets that rivaled Dylan’s Candy Shop. The pre-concert party was just starting to groove, when security abruptly cleared the room (except for Insider) for a surprise appearance by the revitalized pop tart herself. Sporting dark glasses and the ultimate accessory — her two adorable tykes, in matching fedoras — Brit casually strolled in wearing her pre-concert makeup and street clothes.

Ringed by a couple of bodyguards and under the watchful eye of her very serious father, Jamie, the star, looking healthy and fit, toured the lounge as dad pointed out new shots on display from the just-launched Candies/Kohls campaign, while she fed white chocolate to little Shawn Preston and Jayden James. When the DJ pumped up the volume (Madonna and the guest of honor herself made the playlist), Spears plunked the boys down on a couch and entertained them with some impromptu dance moves before borrowing a camera to record the moment. Britney promised the Candies team she would return the next night with her dance troupe and then headed upstairs to take the stage. Her boys, ensconced in the sound booth with grandpa and the omnipresent bodyguards, were riveted to the stage as mom raised the roof with a circus-themed show that didn’t exactly conform to Disney standards. When Spears slowed things down with a ballad to close the first act, Jamie brought the kids to the edge of the stage, so the newly reformed mother could sing directly to them. After the last note, Spears swept them up and escorted them backstage (and then to home?), a well-timed move considering that the show then veered into decidedly more adult themes and costumes for what turned out to be a triumphant return for the once-troubled singer.