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Britney Spears played the Sunset Strip House of Blues last night, the final stop of a comeback trifecta in which Southern Californian fans were given the opportunity to pay $125 for 12 electrifying minutes of high-impact strippercising set to a handful of oldies, flawlessly lipsynched except where the chewing of gum necessitated dropping the occasional lyric. But even the most diehard of Britheads, traveling by caravan from show to show and obsessively comparing set-list notes in parking lots ("She opened with 'One More Time' into 'Slave' in Anaheim too? Whoa.") were in for a few surprises:

[S]he forsook the long dark wig she'd been sporting at the other two shows in exchange for a short, bobbed black one. Her costume — made up of a mini skirt, pink bikini top and white furry jacket — remained the same, though her fishnet stockings were showing some wear and tear, with some reportedly "large" holes on her backside!

The moment she left, the crowd turned their attention to Lindsay [Lohan], with some people shouting "hi" to her. Lohan smiled and waved from her balcony perch, saying "hi" back to the people before making her exit from the club.

Having once again lavished upon her adoring audiences all she has to give and more, it's not difficult to see why the singer has earned the title of Hardest Working Britney Spears in Show Business. Lohan's semi-accessible presence at the proceedings could only have enhanced the experience, offering, with just those few exchanged pleasantries from on high, yet another direct lifeline to the great figures of the early 21st century post-post-post-feminist movement: panty-burning ex-prisoners of rehab, mad as hell, y'all, and ready for their next drink.