Britney back for first gig in 3 years

It is less than three months since Britney Spears was shaving her head, yo-yoing in and out of rehab and attacking a photographer with an umbrella.

But the 25-year-old singer made an extraordinary comeback from the brink of meltdown as she took to the stage for her first concert in three years.

She was three hours late, performed for a mere 14 minutes and there were suspicions that she mimed to a backing track.

Video: Watch a clip from Britney's raunchy gig

The pop singer performed five songs during the set

She's done it again: a healthy looking Britney wowed fans last night

Britney devised her own routines for the show

Her high-energy appearance alongside six backing dancers, however, delighted most of the 300 fans who crowded into a tiny California club.

The pop princess's return had been cloaked in secrecy with the concert advertised as "the M&Ms" - an apparent reference to her change from a Mrs to a Ms in the wake of her divorce from Kevin Federline.

Buff and bronzed: Britney showed off her newly slender physique

The crowd cheers Britney on during her first show in three years

Britney impressed the club crowd during the brief performance

But as rumours spread on the Internet that Britney was the star of the show, tickets which had been on sale for £18 were changing hands for as much as £250.

There was mayhem on the streets near the House of Blues club in San Diego, where fans crowding the pavements were jostled by the star's six heavily-muscled minders.

A tearful Maria Edwards, 19, said: "I was shoved out of the way and fell to the ground in all the chaos. We just wanted to get pictures of Britney but her security guards were going crazy at everyone and being really heavy-handed."

Britney (centre) on stage with her back-up dancers

Britney's entourage, and accompanying paparazzi, caused chaos on the streets

Fans hoped to catch a glimpse of the star on her tour bus

The show was due to start at 7.30pm, but it was 10.40 when it eventually began.

Wearing a brunette wig, white knee boots, a pink jewelled bikini top and white mini-skirt, a newly-slim Miss Spears danced her way through a set including Baby One More Time, Toxic and Breathe On Me.

One audience member, Morgan Segall, 20, said: "It looked like she lip-synched her way through the whole thing."

But Rich Abrahams, 22, said: "This is what Britney fans have been waiting for. It is the start of something bigger and better and is an historic moment in pop history."