Washington, March 4 : Britney Spears lived up to the expectations of her fans gathered in New Orleans as she kicked off her first concert tour in five years.

The pop princess descended from the ceiling dressed as a ringmaster as she while singing few of her biggest hits, from the recent "Womanizer" to her debut song, "Baby One More Time" in a Circus-themed show.

The 27-year-old began her show with the title track of her latest album "Circus" before taking to a stripper pole to perform "Radar".

The diva then went on to sing her 2007 hit "Gimme More" in a martial arts theme with a cast including dancing ninjas, reports Contactmusic.

Britney changed over 25 costumes while the show saw her collaboration with Madonna, Me Against the Music, restyled with a Bollywood routine.

Paying her gratitude to the cheering crowd, she said: "Thank you New Orleans for coming out tonight, I love you."

The singer seemed to have claimed victory after having undergone a rocky ride down the hill which saw her public meltdowns and losing custody of her two kids along with her visit to the rehabilitation centre.

Her "Circus" tour, which began on March 3, is scheduled to take her to 27 cities in the United States before concluding in London on June 14. (ANI)