Britney Spears gambles on two years in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Britney Spears opened a two-year sojourn in Sin City late Friday with a dazzling performance to a crowd of adoring fans at the city's Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Some 4,600 followers of the Grammy-winning pop songstress were on hand to enjoy her new spectacle, titled "Piece of Me," in which the 32-year old performed most of the songs that made her famous.

"Wow... perfect audience for the 1st #PieceOfMe show! That was AMAZING! I 3 you Vegas!!!" Spears wrote on Twitter.

Spears belted out more than 20 songs that include many of the hits over her 15-year career from former Disney starlet in the late 1990s to pop diva of the 2000s.

Several big-name stars on hand for the premier on the famed Las Vegas strip included Katy Perry and pop's current enfant terrible, Miley Cyrus.

While Spears lip-synched songs throughout much of the show, a large troupe of backup dancers writhed, wiggled and did back flips at a steady pace throughout the 90-minute show.

Against a backdrop of stunning video projections, Spears performed hits including "Toxic," "Womanizer," "Baby One More Time," and "Till the World Ends."

During her two years in Vegas, Spears will climb up on the stage nearly 100 times in a performance that may not be reproduced anywhere in North America.

According to the celebrity website TMZ.com, the 73,600 seats for the first 16 concerts - the only ones currently for sale - were nearly all sold out.

Spears will rake in around $15 million (S$19 million) for each year in Las Vegas, according to TMZ.