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An Amazing Spice-erience!
by Courtney Andrews
When one of my fellow producers here at Access, Steve, told me he could get a Return of the Spice Girls concert ticket for me at the last minute on eBbay for $150, I wasn't so sure it would be worth it -- but after going to the opening show in LA on Wednesday, I am quite thankful for the Spice-erience!!
Upon arriving at the Staples Center on opening night, not surprisingly, the audience was overwhelmingly female but Steve (with his girlfriend) and our saucy colleague Bryant were getting me pumped for a night of Girl Power! The place was packed with devoted fans proudly decked out in tight outfits, and hairstyles reminiscent of the group in their nineties popularity. Even little girls who weren't born then represented a new spice generation...but it was a wide age range including lots of girls closer to my age -- in their late 20's and 30's.
We took our seats in the premiere seating of the Staples Center, a few levels up from the floor -- not very close to the stage but definitely decent seats. At about 8:30 the Spice Girls still hadn't taken the stage. We were wondering who was going to open for the Quintet - no one we're told. But Spice fans seated in a VIP suite (on our level, (A)!) caused a sensation before the show!
First we heard loud shrieks...then see hundreds of camera flashes to our right, and girls getting out the An Acameras ...the person they're screaming for stands up -- it's Tom Cruise!
It was a moment of true star power...Tom looking handsome in a black suit and his new bowl hair cut, stands up graciously to wave to everyone so fans can take pictures...he sits back down but the crowd of around 20,000 keeps screaming, he stands up again, looking sincerely appreciative - he continues to satisfy the screams as girls take pictures with their cell phone cameras...Then we see the littlest spice fan...Katie Holmes is holding 17 month old Suri!
The Cruise family shared their suite with David Beckham and sons! Becks captivated the crowd with his two year old son Cruz... David, ..he could've got cotton candy from his VIP suite...but David clad in a vest and white shirt came out of the suite to buy some cotton candy and a group of teenage girls sitting below didn't miss the opportunity to buy some more!
A few minutes later...the crowd roars for Posh, Scary, Baby, Sporty, and Ginger's glamorous entrance to Spice Up Your Life...the whole place erupts singing along. It was an infectious energy that got me and Bryant dancing to their hit songs, as well as songs we haven't really heard before...honestly if I had known the concert was going to be this high octane, I wouldn't have ordered that red wine at the bar...For many of the slow songs, we didn't know the words...but really most of everyone there knew them all!
The girls, all in fantastically good shape, looked stunning, due in large part to their shimmering metallic Roberto Cavalli costumes! However while they were all gorgeously dressed throughout over 5 costume changes, (Ginger's Union Flag Dress was amazing) Posh outshined her Spice sisters - my favorite outfit out of their 5 costume changes - her gold metallic suit. It was unbelievably futuristic and sexy.
I wasn't expecting the girls to perform so many cover songs. Mel B sang Lenny Kravitz's "Are you Gonna Go My Way" she made it her own by taking a guy from the audience and strapping him into a cage. Posh strutted to Ru Paul's Supermodel (throughout the show, by the way Posh's man Becks danced in his seat with Cruz on his lap!) Sporty sang "I Turn To You" and she definitely showcased her amazing voice. Geri Haliwell singing “It's Raining Men" wasn't as impressive. They saved "Wannabe" (their single that made them a phenom) for last!
Although at times you could tell they had the help of a recording enhancement, they did really sing pretty well. We agreed though, the audio system was not great, at least from where we were sitting-at some points it was hard to understand what they were saying, and hear the words to their songs!
Overall though, the Spice Girls concert was all about spectacle and good fun and I loved it. I recommend finding a last minute ticket on eBay...they performed for an hour and a half...and I didn't want to leave!!
This is a really great summary of the Spice Girls concert, I feel as though I was there at it with the writer. That's a great bonus that you got to see Becks and the Cruises! I enjoyed reading this fun, refreshing blog. Thank you!