Chris Brown thrills with dance moves at his hometown comeback concert

In the court of public opinion, at least 3,500 females in central Virginia have forgiven Chris Brown.

They roared. They cried. They rushed the stage.

And that was just in the 40 seconds from when Brown crept onstage and the lights kicked in to reveal the R&B heartthrob, clad head-to-toe in black, surrounded by a quartet of dancers.

Security was no match for this teeming mob of over-zealous young girls who shoved forward, phones and PDAs aloft in a blur of flash pops, as they tried desperately to get within touching distance of a guy who was just as rigorously proving himself worthy of adulation.

The Tappahannock native is in the midst of the 18-date Fan Appreciation Tour -- aka the Please Still Love Me Tour -- which is playing in theaters and clubs, an intentional downsizing from his 2008 arena spectacle as the 20-year-old checks the pulse of his career.

At last night's nearly sold-out Landmark Theater show, Brown spent the first half of the 70-minute set dazzling with his remarkable dance moves while mostly lip-synching to songs new ("I Can Transform Ya") and old ("Wall to Wall").

Seriously, is there a more fleet, thrilling young dancer out there today than this kid, whose feet practically spark when he unleashes them?

The second half was dedicated a bit more to singing, as Brown's reedy voice tackled the pleading "Say Goodbye" and "With You," a sweet valentine that was his most authentic vocal (read: no Auto Tune) of the set.

A couple of new songs -- "Crawl," a swooping redemption ballad, and "Sing Like Me" -- indicate that Brown is wisely taking an innocuous puppy dog approach in reasserting himself after his assault charge this year.

Those songs certainly seemed more appropriate than the sexually aggressive "Take You Down," which showcased the singer's washboard torso and slightly-more-than-PG-13 thrusts.

Really, who thought that was a good idea?

Brown didn't address his troubles specifically during the show -- except to "thank Virginia for coming out and supporting me" -- but he did appear exceptionally loose while grinning and moonwalking through the show-closing "Forever."

Still, no matter how genuine his intentions to demonstrate that he's a changed/changing young man, Brown will always face opposition.

Outside the Landmark after the concert ended, a dozen or so protesters stood across the street waving signs reading "Chris Brown belongs in jail" and chanting "Two, four, six, eight, spread the love and stop the hate."

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at