Smoke ’em if you got ’em, but not near Britney

Spears’ concert delayed due to cigarettes; she tells crowd to avoid ‘weed’

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updated 2:14 p.m. ET April 9, 2009

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The new and improved Britney Spears apparently isn’t a fan of cigarette smoke — or any other kind of smoke, for that matter — while she’s performing.

The 27-year-old pop star left the stage for about 30 minutes during a concert in Vancouver on Wednesday night, apparently because of smoke in the audience.

According to The Vancouver Sun, Spears’ concert was halted about 15 minutes into her performance, and an announcer told concertgoers to put out their cigarettes. Some audience members grew impatient while waiting for Spears and her troupe to return to the stage, the Sun reported.

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After she returned and ended the show, Spears — who has been to rehab and is on the comeback trail after a long stretch of troubles — told the crowd, “Don’t smoke weed.”

Spears’ publicist, Holly Shakoor, issued a statement apologizing to fans about the delay. The statement said “crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue.”

Spears began her “Circus” tour of the United States, Canada and England on March 3 in New Orleans. Her father and attorneys are exploring the possibility of expanding the tour to include more shows in Europe and Australia.