As the sun dips below the horizon at Brighton Pride, Britney Spears’s signature breathy vocals echo across Preston Park: “It’s been a while, I know I shouldn’t have kept you waiting, but I’m here now,” she whispers as her third track, “Break The Ice”, begins to play.

But it turns out many of the 57,000 fans who travelled to see Spears perform at the UK’s biggest Pride event have been waiting a lot longer than a “while” to see her.

“I feel like my entire life has been leading up to this moment,” says 23-year-old Martin Wilson. “My gay life is finally complete.”

Martin’s words are typical of the fans that The Independent speaks with, who’ve covered their bodies in glitter and put on costumes for this very special occasion. Many express a deep emotional bond with her: “I cried when she came out and when she left,” says Sean Barter, 26. “It was a childhood dream come true and Pride was the perfect place to see her.”

There’s no denying Spears’s status as an LGBT+ icon. Over the course of her career, her LGBT+ fans have shown immense loyalty to her, especially when her personal struggles have made headlines. As strong as her musical contribution has been, to them, her influence transcends music: “It sounds cliché but Britney has always given me the strength to push through the bad times in my life, particularly growing up gay in the middle of nowhere,” Barter explains.

For people such as this writer, who grew up listening to Spears’s music on cassette tape, rewinding “Oops!… I Did It Again” hundreds of times to perfect the dance routine and learn that Titanic-inspired speaking interlude, Brighton Pride is a cherished memory in a special friendship. Seeing her perform at a Pride event feels like an acknowledgement of the support the LGBT+ community has given her.

Spears’s Piece of Me tour, which she has performed throughout her four-year residency at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, features 27 of her greatest hits. Considering the sheer volume of hit pop songs in her repertoire, from “…Baby One More Time” to “Toxic” and “Circus”, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that she is still only 36 and less than two decades into her career. After making stops at Scarborough, London, Manchester and Glasgow, Spears will continue the final leg of the tour in mainland Europe.