Pop star Britney Spears has delayed the start of her U.S. tour by five days to Oct. 31 after being laid low by the flu, her label said.
The tour will now kick off in Washington at the MCI Center, Jive Records said in a statement issued late on Tuesday. It was originally supposed to begin in Miami on Oct. 26, but will now end there on Dec. 19. The Oct. 28 date in Tampa, Florida, has been rescheduled for Dec. 18.
Spears was stricken after returning from a promotional trip to Australia, which she aborted following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. After a doctor prescribed a week of rest, rehearsals were accordingly delayed. She is preparing to release her third album, “Britney,” on Nov. 6.
Spears has also added five cities to her tour, including East Rutherford, New Jersey, where she will play on Dec. 2, her 20th birthday. Other new cities on the itinerary are Atlanta, New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Raleigh, North Carolina. There is also an additional concert in Las Vegas.
