Spice Girls Spice up LA!

One week from today, on Friday, December 7, 2007, I attended the Spice Girls Reunion concert at the Staples Center. I was a bit hesitant upon buying these tickets though, not at all because I didn't want to see the Spice Girls, but because it was right in the middle of my finals at UCLA.  But after deliberating a little about how I could fit the Spice Girls into finals week, I jumped on the opportunity and told my friend to count me in!  So after a very long week of final projects, exams, and papers, the night finally arrived. 

As we arrived at the Staples Center, there was a huge line at the main entrance where hundreds of eager Spice fans were awaiting permission to go inside.  While we were in line, I couldn't help but notice the sheer demographics of the Spice Girls' audience for the evening.  I thought that the people that attended would be around my age - girls in their early twenties.  But from the looks of it, it seemed like the people in line never aged from the Spice Girls days.  It's either that they acted like they were in high school, or they actually were.  Other than the young, Justin Timberlake-lovin' high schoolers, the other majority of people that attended was good number of gay men of various ages.  As we got to our seats, which were surprisingly very close to the stage, I noticed a couple behind us.  The boyfriend looked embarrassed to be there and was obviously dragged there by his girlfriend.  I felt sort of bad for him because there was a bunch of teeny-boppers next to him that were pre-partying before the show.  Since the Spice Girls didn't have anyone opening for them, the venue played a lot of dance music and hip hop to amp up the audience before the show.  One song in particular that I remember was Soulja Boy's "Crank That".  I had only heard this song a couple times before in the car of my hip-hop loving friend, but I had no idea how immensely popular this song was.  The second this song was played, at least a hundred girls got up out of their seats, screamed, and started dancing like a well choreographed dance troop.  Their reaction was such a shock to me.  I just felt out of the loop and like I've been locked in the UCLA bubble for a little too long. 

When it seemed like anticipation for the show to start had reached its limit, the Spice Girls finally appeared on stage!  They were singing "Spice Up Your Life" and were each on an individual riser.  The waves of cheer and screaming from the audience was my cue to put in my earplugs.  It was actually still loud after I had the earplugs in that I can't imagine how deaf I would have been after the show.  The high-pitched screaming was so overwhelming and continuous throughout the first few numbers that it seemed like it was a Beatles concert in 60s.  I can't lie, I was screaming too.  There was just so much excitement in the room that you couldn't help but join in.  It was so great to see the Spice Girls on stage and back together again. The Spice Girls' second song was their hit, "Stop".  This is one of my favorite songs of theirs.  It is so unbelievably catchy and joyous that it can probably brighten up my mood any day.  As each of the Spice Girls alternated lines in the song, the audience would cheer for their favorite Spice Girl.  The first line went to Ginger, the second was Sporty, then Baby.  The audience seemed to cheer equally for those three.  Then, the next line went to Posh and the reaction from the audience was unbelievable.  The screams seemed at least five times as loud for Posh than any of the other Spice Girls!  I never knew that she was the "favorite" of the group, but I guess she is the new diva of pop culture.

The costumes in the show were all designed by Roberto Cavalli and were exquisite.  Cavalli smartly created updated sophisticated, and fun outfits for each Spice Girl while also incorporating each of their well-known personalities.  The choreography in the show was also very good.  The Spice Girls spent a long time rehearsing for their tour, and their hard work definitely paid off.  Their elaborate dance steps and movements were in sync with each other and looked pretty close to immaculate. I was also impressed by how well their choreographer moved the Spice Girls around the stage so smoothly and used every part of the large stage to their advantage. 

The middle of the set was surprisingly comprised of a bunch of solo numbers and overdone covers.  Although the solo tunes were decent, the numerous cover songs was the low point in the show for me because I'd much rather have the Spice Girls play more of their songs then play a medley of "We Are Family", "Celebration", and other disco hits.  However, the only cover of the night that I enjoyed was Geri's version of "It's Raining Men".  She was accompanied with ten campy, half-naked back up dancers, which was very well received by the audience. The Spice Girls saved the best for last and ended the concert with "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life" (again).  Both of those performances were very fun and incredibly energetic.

Overall, the Spice Girls sure know how to end on a high note and supply their fans with a lasting memory of the show. This was one of the most fun and exciting concerts that I can remember.  I'm delighted to say that this wasn't just another reunion concert; the Spice Girls really put on a fantastic show and I felt that it was well worth the price on the ticket.  Through their showmanship and the obvious hard work that was put into making the concert, the Spice Girls provided something that you just can't get from a CD.  I absolutely adored this group when I was younger and it was awesome to see them reunited with the same fun-loving attitude and energy that they had when they were first together.

Here are a few pictures I took at the concert: