Britney's Family Excited About Her New Tour

Britney Spears will kick off her new "Circus" tour today in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is receiving overwhelming support from family, friends and fans. Said Spear's aunt, Linda Ann Brandon-Kjos, "I am so excited for her, and I wish I could be there. All the family is there and supporting her. I'm sure that she is going to be just fine. I think it is going to be something really special." Spears, whose finances are now handled by her father Jamie, has grown closer to her family and a tight-knit group of the friends in the wake of a series of public meltdowns in which ex-managers, ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands tried to take advantage of her in one way or another.

In keeping with her new toned-down lifestyle, Spears spent the days prior to her concert kickoff with family in Kentwood, LA. The new tour, which is scheduled to include both old material and new, is a potential return to prominence for Spears who, though she has been in the news consistently through her crises, has yet to prove that she's truly "back" with an extended tour.

A friend of the family noted, "[Her family] is worried that this might be too much pressure for her. Is it too soon? It wasn't that long ago that she was falling apart and now the pressure is on and it's a lot." The same friend also noted, "It's hard because she is such a pleaser and has always worked hard. When she was younger, she was a perfectionist and went over and over things in her routines to get them just exactly right. She says she is ready, but who is she doing this for?