One week until departure, a million things to do and really, what better time to head up to New York, meet my sister and bust a move at the Spice Girls Reunion Tour? It was a hectic, fast-paced few days of bus trips, cab rides, subway treks and of course, the glorious LIRR. Scary, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and the ravishing Posh were playing the Nassau Coliseum in beautiful Hempstead, Long Island and the train taking folks eastward had been officially renamed the “Spice Train,” full of twenty-something’s whose childhood was defined by such thrillers as “Wannabe” and “ Spice Up Your Life” and 12-year-olds with their Moms who thought they were cool because Dad bought them front-row-seats (read: annoying).
Roughly 50% of the 20,000 screaming fans either came in groups of 5, each adopting their favorite spice (with the last person getting stuck as Sporty) or wearing equally fabulous themed shirts. My sister and I chose the latter, and she did her artsy thang to produce these gems. Needless to say, we were a hit, and loads of folks were snapping pics of us throughout the show.
There really are no words to describe the wonder that was Mel B, Melanie C, Geri, Emma & Victoria. From the first words of “Spice Up Your Life” to the last thumping baseline of “Wannabe,” the women looked amazing, sounded amazing and owned their glory days. I could go on and on about each song, costume and routine, but I’ll save you details in favor of my top 8 moments:
1. Geri’s Abs – I don’t think she’s human.
2. The revamping of their old duds and identities, only with more style, less hairspray and about a million sequins.
3. Sporty’s pants splitting at the end of Wannabe, leading her to run off stage and change while Scary tried to find Ginger a date.
4. The solo sequence where each Spice sang a song of their choice, except Victoria, who decided, instead, to do a catwalk down the center stage to Madonna’s Vogue, complete with impossibly tall heels, a 6-foot train and aviator sunglasses. She’s so Posh.
5. Their complete embracing of why they’re famous, singing their very best songs for real and sounding absolutely incredible.
6. The sound of 20,000 people screaming every single word of every single song.
7. The mid-song staging for “Holler,” where the girls lead their back-up dancers down the stage on leashes.
8. Turning to my dazed-looking sister half-way through to ask if everything was ok. Her response: “It’s just…too amazing. I can’t deal with it. I’m in awe. I need a moment.” Love her. LOVE HER.
Ok, 24 hours until departure…back to work!
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