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Comeback in Vancouver

December 2, 2007 General Motors Place

By Mae Velasco

I know that the Spice Girls concert
was a while back, but I can’t seem to
get it off my mind! I mean, they kicked
off their tour starting with us! Isn’t that
exciting? It feels like only yesterday.

The crowd was_ incredibly
amazing! Teenage fans were dressed
up as Posh (Victoria Beckham) with the
sunglasses and the headphones. I myself
was dressed up as Baby Spice (Emma
Bunton), sans the bleach-blonde dyed
hair. The group of friends who were
near my section were die-hard fans as
well, which each dressed as a different
member of the Girls. One had a wicked
Britain tank top and many had Spice Girls
merchandise. There were plenty of Spice
Girls shirts and light-up necklaces which
the fans were lined up to purchase. It was
chaos, but in some way it was lovely as
well. The spirit was intense!

The British band was created
in 1994 in London, after the girls
replied to an ad in Britain’s The Stage
newspaper. Each girl that auditioned had
one minute to belt out a tune. Melanie
Chisholm sang “I’m So Excited” by the
Pointer Sisters. Melanie Brown sang
“The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney
Houston. Victoria Adams (also known
as Victoria Beckham) sang “Mein
Herr” from Cabaret. There was no
Emma Bunton originally, only Michelle
Stephenson. But when Michelle left due
to her mother being sick Emma took her
place, and now we have our own Baby
Spice and she’s awesome.

It was Geri who came up with
the name “Spice,” making all the band
members into “Spice Girls.” Only Geri
Halliwell ended up being named after a
real spice, however. As the sexiest one
of them all, they were going to originally
name her “Sexy Spice” but she preferred
“Ginger Spice” instead.

Fans were soon jumping for

10

joy. They were already into them. In a
short time the group proceded to sell
over 35 million albums. In 1996 their
song “Wannabe” held the top of the UK
singles charts for a straight seven weeks.
It was a huge victory for the new band
and helped establish their identity. And
their career continued to bloom.

With all of their succesful
demos and songs, the Girls soon needed
a manager. Their efforts were running out
of luck until Simon Fuller came along
from 19 Management and signed them
to Virgin Records. Tours became more
extravagant and the advertisements were
going smoothly. Everything was going
as planned. Awards were awarded and
the Girls were both happy and nervous
as ever.

Roberto Cavalli was soon called
in to design the Spice Girl’s now famous
costumes. A famous fashion designer, he
devised a glamourous set of signature

performed for 2.1 million fans in Britain,
Europe and North America.

Overall, they ended up selling
a total of over 55 million albums, and
had nine number one singles in the UK,
besting hits by Madonna, the Beatles,
and Elvis Presley. “Wannabe” remains
the biggest single sold by the group, and
they hold the honor of being the first
female group to ever create nine number
one singles.

The band sadly split up in the
year 2000, beginning with the departure
of Ginger Spice. She ended it because
she decided to persue her very own solo
career, soon followed by the other girls
also dropping out to persue their own
solo careers as well. Some were also
persuing marriage and motherhood.

In 2007 the band reunited, and
the Spice Girls announced the start of a
worldwide reunion tour. Their opening
Vancouver concert certainly did not

“Personally, I believe the Girls are one of the
greatest music idols of all time.”

outfits that accentuated each Spice
Girl’s own characteristics. Each girl
was given their own unique style which
made them one-of-a-kind. Roberto and
the Girls talked about what they wanted
and in return created their look, “When
I met them, I immediately understood
the reason why the world went crazy
for their unique brand of Girl Power as
they are an irresistible mix of energy,
pure joy, humour, and a spicy dash of
glamour. I’m sure their strength will take
us by storm again,” he said.

The Spice Girls first tour kicked
offin 1998. It ran all throughout February
24 to September 20. The show in Ireland
was sold out in a mere two hours. Can
you believe it? They had 102 dates in all,
and went to all of them, even when two
of the Girls were pregnant. In total they

disappoint.

Along with their group
numbers, each of the Spice Girls also
did a solo. They sang by themselves
and what I remember most was when
Geri Halliwell sang “It’s Raining Men.”
The screens had thunder rolling and I
knew this song would come up. The
dancers were all strong and buff. It was
wonderful. You would see all the fans
dancing and singing along to the song. I
was so excited that she even sang it. For
days afterward I would bug my brother
and sing “It’s Raining Men” out of the
blue. He got pissed off at me but I didn’t
care.

Melanie Chisholm sung “I Turn
To You,” which is a very beautiful song.
I had always wondered what song it was
when I heard it on the radio. Good thing

 

I heard it at the concert. It got me going.
Singing and dancing as I always was at
the concert. The song sent me a powerful
message. I have someone to turn to you
when I am in trouble, and it is you!

The Spice Girls also performed
a very seductive scene. They had booths
with a pole and a heart in the middle
while dancers put a fan or wings around
them as they sang “2 Become 1.” I
thought it was very romantic in terms
of the scenery and the lyrics themselves.
Their hit song “Wannabe” was saved
for the very end, and there were lots of
explosions and colourful confetti. The
people in the front were wrapped in
confetti. It was like fireworks blasting
from the stage. It was so cool!

Many Douglas College students
attended the concert and were talking
about it long afterwards. “Their singing
was not that great, but their dance
moves were well choreographed. It was
entertaining” said Katerina Tsangarakis.

“They were awesome! I want to see
them again. My favourite Spice Girl is
Baby Spice and my favourite part of the
show was when they first came out of the
stage.” said my concert buddy Savanna
Jones.

Personally, I believe the Girls
are one of the greatest music idols of
all time. They demonstrate charisma,
passion, girl power, and bring a positive
image to young girls everywhere. They
really sent a good vibe to the audience
emotionally through all their dances and
songs. It actually blew me away and drew
me in closer than J had even imagined.

Seeing the girls live was really
a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean,
who knows when they’I] actually perform
again? It might be over a decade. But
who knows? For all of you who were
lucky enough to get tickets, I bet you had
the time of your lives. I sure did.