Ten years ago the Spice Girls took the U.S. by storm, ruling the Billboard charts and consuming most 12-year-old girls’ lives.
A decade later, the same rang true in Hartford, Conn. as the British quintet played the last show of their U.S. reunion tour. According to Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell, this would be the last time the girls would perform together, ever.
The opening of the concert began with a mini movie followed immediately by clips from their hit single “Say You’ll Be There.” Shouts and screams from the mostly female filled crowd drowned out the sound of the music as the five rose up to the stage, opening with “Spice Up Your Life.”
It was almost as though you were at a party with the huge stage that took up almost the entire width of the arena and a catwalk extending out into the audience.
Lights and video screens filled up the stage, and all male back up dancers kept the crowd on their feet while the girls quickly changed their Roberto Cavalli-designed costumes numerous times throughout the night.
But surprise was the element that surrounded the entire night. Each girl performed a solo number, with Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) strutting down the catwalk in true Victoria Beckham fashion and Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) pulling a random male audience member from the crowd in a bondage routine. Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) performed a 60’s number, while Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice) performed her single “I Turn to You” that was released during her solo career and Halliwell sang a rendition of “It’s Raining Men.” But perhaps what was most surprising was that the girls performed several times without Halliwell, who left the band in 1998 to pursue her solo career.
Toward the end of the night, the five unexpectedly performed a number of 70’s hits including “Celebration,” “That’s the Way I Like It” and “We Are Family” that brought the crowd to their feet, regardless of the slight cheesiness.
“We’ve only got one song left,” Brown said. “Do you want to hear it?”
Almost immediately, the crowd knew what to expect; the night wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Wannabe,” undoubtedly the band’s biggest hit.
And as we danced around in our executive suite, we were proud to act like the 12-year-olds we once were. It brought us back to the times of Spice Girl t-shirts, bubblegum, lollipops, dolls and posters. The theme of “girl power” was inevitably felt amongst the crowd, a sea of other twenty-something’s reliving their youth. This concert did precisely what concerts should, bring us back to a special time, revive memories and warm hearts. As we walked out and sat in the parking garage for over an hour, Spice Girls songs blasted and nobody was angry or agitated. Smiles were everywhere and a special feeling was in the air. Girl power really does make the world a better place.
