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The Return of the Spice Girls Tour

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The Return of the Spice Girls Tour was the third concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls, running from December 2007 to February 2008. It was the group's first tour since Christmas in Spiceworld (1999), a small British holiday-season tour, and their first tour with all five members since the Spiceworld Tour (1998)—of which only four members were present for the North American leg (June-August 1998), as Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell had left the group in May 1998.

The Return of the Spice Girls Tour
Tour by Spice Girls
LocationNorth America • Europe
Associated albumGreatest Hits
Start date2 December 2007 (2007-12-02)
End date26 February 2008 (2008-02-26)
Legs2
No. of shows47
Attendance581,066 (45 shows)
Box office$70.1 million (45 shows)
Spice Girls concert chronology

Across 45 shows (out of 47), the tour sold 581,066 tickets, with a box-office gross of $70.1 million,[1] and earned an additional $100 million from merchandising.[2] Overall, the tour was the eighth highest-grossing concert tour of 2008. The seventeen-night sellout residency at London's O2 Arena was the highest-grossing engagement of the year, taking in $33.8 million and drawing an audience of 256,647, winning the 2008 Billboard Touring Award for Top Boxscore.[3][4] This was also the most recent Spice Girls tour to feature Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, as she declined to participate on their subsequent reunion tour due to other commitments.

Background

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On 28 June 2007, the Spice Girls held a press conference at the O2 Arena in London, formally announcing their intention to reunite as a group,[5] a plan that had long been speculated on by the media.[6] During the press conference, the group laid out their plans to embark on a world concert tour that would be seen as a celebration of the group's history and to tour as a quintet for the last time.[7] Initially, eleven dates were announced and spanned North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America and fans were informed that they had to pre-register for tickets on the group's website. On 30 September, the successful applicants for the Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Vancouver and London concerts were informed of how they could purchase their tickets, via email and text alerts, from valid ticket vendors. Demand was so high that many dates quickly sold out and new dates in London were immediately announced after the first date at the O2 Arena sold out in only 38 seconds.[8] Sixteen additional dates in London were eventually added, all selling out within one minute.[9]

Concert synopsis

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The Spice Girls performing "Spice Up Your Life" as the opening number of their Return of the Spice Girls tour, at the Air Canada Centre, in Toronto; wearing tight metallic coloured outfits designed by Roberto Cavalli.

The show begins with a video introduction of five young girls playing inside a house when they find a magic box. When they open it fireworks appear, the five girls all wish to become pop stars when they grow up, then an instrumental of "Spice Up Your Life" begins as various music videos and press headlines about the Spice Girls are shown, as the video ends the Spice Girls enter the stage on five platforms and perform "Spice Up Your Life" they then perform a mashup of their 1998 hit "Stop" and "It's Like That" by Jason Nevins and Run-DMC, which famously blocked "Stop" from the number 1 position on the UK Singles Chart. After the girls introduce themselves at the end of the second song they perform "Say You'll Be There" remixed with "Fix" by Blackstreet. Their reunion single "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" is the last song in the first act. The second act begins with a jazz theme for "The Lady Is A Vamp" having a showgirl-style performance. An up-tempo jazz version of "Too Much" is performed with the group dressed in tuxedos, while doing a striptease behind neon pink-coloured, heart-shaped doors.[10][11] "2 Become 1" is performed next while each of the girls emerged from a cocoon of oversized swan wings and danced around a set of barber's poles while singing the song.[12]

The third act begins with a video of falling money and the titles Baby, Posh, Sporty, Scary and Ginger appear on the screen with their signature themes. Geri Halliwell then enters the stage wearing a sequin Union Jack dress, while Emma Bunton wears a small pink coat, and Melanie C appears wearing a sports track suit. Victoria Beckham then appears wearing a little black lace dress, while Mel B wears her trademark leopard print catsuit, and the group perform "Who Do You Think You Are". The song symbolises the height of the Spice Girls in their heyday. Beckham is then left on stage giving a Catwalk / Runway dance to a remix of "Like a Virgin" by Madonna and "Supermodel (You Better Work)" by Ru Paul. Mel B then performs solo, taking a male member of the audience and subsequently chains him to a ladder as she performs a cover of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz. Bunton gives a 1960s-inspired performance of her 2004 hit "Maybe".

 
The show ends with the slogan "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – SPICE"

Following a cape dance interlude, "Viva Forever" is performed with a Latin theme and tango/fan dance break, the song ends with Halliwell exiting the stage early, acknowledging her leaving the band in 1998. "Holler" is then performed by the four remaining members, with a dominatrix theme similar to the video of the song. Halliwell then returns solo to perform her single "It's Raining Men", followed by Melanie C who performs her song, "I Turn to You". Mel B, Melanie C, Bunton, and Beckham then perform "Let Love Lead the Way" dressed in white and silver. Halliwell returns from under the stage at the end of the song. The five girls come together holding hands and walk to the center stage, raising their hands to signify the reunion as a five piece and their bond. They then perform "Mama" with personal photographs of themselves with their mothers and children.[10][11] For the British shows, fifty young girls from the Capital Children's Choir dressed in white came out from a platform and lined the stage against the backdrop screens to sing with the Spice Girls.[13] This was then followed by the "Celebration Medley", a mash-up of "Celebration", "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "That's The Way (I Like It)", and "We Are Family". The girls then perform "Goodbye".

The encore begins with a "Humpty Dance" interlude by the dancers as it segues into "If U Cant Dance" with the girls wearing a different coloured robe. The girls then take off their robes to reveal glittery outfits: Mel B in gold, Halliwell in blue, Melanie C in orange, Beckham in green, and Bunton in pink. They then perform their biggest hit and debut single "Wannabe". Finally they perform a heavily remixed version of "Spice Up Your Life". At the end, a cannon exploded showering the stage with pieces of gold, white and black paper strips, while flags from different countries flashed across the backdrop screens.[11][12]

Controversy

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The group performing a remix of "Spice Up Your Life" at the Air Canada Centre, during the encore.

In late 2007, a fake email was posted by blogger Perez Hilton on his site, stating that the Spice Girls had cancelled their Buenos Aires date,[14] prompting an official statement to be released, stating that Buenos Aires and the other world tour dates were "being finalized".[15] However, due to the extending of the British and American legs of the tour, it was ultimately confirmed to be true; on 1 February 2008, the tour was announced as officially ending in Toronto, Ontario, on 26 February 2008. This confirmed that the originally planned shows in Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Sydney and Tokyo, among other potential locations, were cancelled.[16]

Many media outlets reported that the tour’s shortening was due to Melanie Chisholm and Melanie Brown leaving the group,[17] although this was not the case and was later denied in an official video message.[18] Still, the band suffered international fan backlash, with some creating Facebook hate- and slander-groups, speculating that the official announcement was "indirect" and vague, and that the Spice Girls and their management "knew the dates were cancelled", even before they added 16 dates at London’s O2, and that they strategically decided to announce the change near the end of the tour to "minimize controversy".[19]

Broadcasts and recordings

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BBC Radio 2 recorded the shows in London on 15 and 16 December 2007. An hour-long "highlights special" was broadcast on 22 and 31 December 2007, that included eleven of the twenty-two songs performed.[20] It was confirmed on the Spice Girls official website that there would not be a DVD release.[21] The lack of an official DVD released caused negativity.[22] After many e-mails from fans to the management, it was officially announced that no official DVD had been recorded at all. However, Mel B confirmed on her website that footage of the tour was recorded but the quality was poor and they felt it was wrong to release a DVD for local distribution.[22] In 2017, Melanie C clarified in a YouTube interview that although the concerts had recording for the on-stage video-screens and promotional purposes, a DVD was never recorded due to "poor organization". Because the tour sold out quickly, it was impossible to have empty seats and make room for cameramen and extra lighting, making it impossible to film a high-quality DVD.[23]

In May 2020, two previously unseen video-screen recordings in New York and Philadelphia were uploaded online by Ivan "Flipz" Valez, who was one of the dancers.[24][25]

Set list

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The following set list is representative of the show on 2 December 2007. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.[26]

  1. "Spice Up Your Life"
  2. "Stop"
  3. "Say You'll Be There"
  4. "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)"
  5. "The Lady Is a Vamp"
  6. "Too Much"
  7. "2 Become 1"
  8. "Who Do You Think You Are"
  9. "Like a Virgin" / "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Victoria Beckham solo interlude)
  10. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (Mel B solo)
  11. "Maybe" (Emma Bunton solo)
  12. "Viva Forever"
  13. "Holler"
  14. "It's Raining Men" (Geri Halliwell solo)
  15. "I Turn to You" (Melanie C solo)
  16. "Let Love Lead the Way"
  17. "Mama"
  18. "Celebration" / "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" / "That's the Way (I Like It)" / "We Are Family" (disco mix)
  19. "Goodbye"
Encore
  2. "If U Can't Dance"
  4. "Wannabe"
  5. "Spice Up Your Life" (reprise)

Tour dates

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List of concerts, showing date, city, country, and venue
Date City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
North America[27][28]
2 December 2007 Vancouver Canada General Motors Place — —
4 December 2007 San Jose United States HP Pavilion
5 December 2007 Los Angeles Staples Center 24,502 / 24,502 $2,673,311
7 December 2007
8 December 2007 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center — —
9 December 2007
11 December 2007
Europe[27]
15 December 2007 London England The O2 Arena 256,647 / 256,647[a] $33,829,250[a]
16 December 2007
18 December 2007
20 December 2007 Cologne Germany Kölnarena — —
23 December 2007 Madrid Spain Madrid Arena
2 January 2008 London England The O2 Arena —[a] — [a]
3 January 2008
4 January 2008
6 January 2008
8 January 2008
9 January 2008
11 January 2008
12 January 2008
13 January 2008
15 January 2008
16 January 2008
18 January 2008
20 January 2008
22 January 2008
23 January 2008 Manchester Manchester Evening News Arena 41,323 / 41,323 $5,388,122
24 January 2008
26 January 2008
North America[27]
30 January 2008 Boston United States TD Banknorth Garden — —
31 January 2008 Montreal Canada Bell Centre
3 February 2008 Toronto Air Canada Centre 58,368 / 58,368[b] $6,396,302[b]
4 February 2008
6 February 2008 Uniondale United States Nassau Coliseum 22,622 / 24,207 $2,427,714
7 February 2008
10 February 2008 Newark Prudential Center 23,430 / 25,143 $2,565,726
11 February 2008
13 February 2008 East Rutherford Izod Center — —
15 February 2008 Chicago United Center
16 February 2008 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
18 February 2008 New York City Madison Square Garden
19 February 2008 Philadelphia Wachovia Center
21 February 2008 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
22 February 2008 Hartford XL Center
24 February 2008 Montreal Canada Bell Centre
25 February 2008 Toronto Air Canada Centre —[b] —[b]
26 February 2008
Total 581,066[1]
(45 shows) 		$70,100,000[1]
(45 shows)

Cancelled dates

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List of concerts, showing date, city and country
Date City Country
Asia[27]
10 January 2008 Beijing China
12 January 2008 Hong Kong
Oceania[27]
17 January 2008 Sydney Australia
Africa[27]
20 January 2008 Cape Town South Africa
South America[27]
24 January 2008 Buenos Aires Argentina

Personnel

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Vocals

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Band

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  • Simon Ellis – Musical Director / Keyboards
  • Paul Gendler – Guitars
  • Greg Hatwell – Guitars
  • Nick Nasmyth – Keyboards
  • Scott Firth – Bass
  • Sudha Kheterpal or Thomas Dyani – Percussion
  • Vinnie Lammi – Drums

Dancers

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  • Gus Carr (Dance Captain)
  • Scotty Nguyen (Dance Captain)
  • Alex Larson
  • Antonio Hudnell
  • Cassidy Noblett
  • Dougie Styles
  • Ivan "Flipz" Valez
  • Leo Moctezuma
  • Victor Rojas
  • Vinh Bui

Main crew

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  • Musical Director: Simon Ellis
  • Creative Director: Jamie King
  • Production & Lighting: LeRoy A. Bennett
  • Assistant Director: Carla Kama
  • Supervising Choreographer: Stefanie Roos
  • Video Director: Dago Gonzalez for Veneno, Inc.
  • Costume Design: Roberto Cavalli
  • Manager: Simon Fuller
  • Executive Producer: Spice Girls and 19

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d This score data is combined from all shows at The O2 Arena, London
  2. ^ a b c d This score data is combined from all shows at Air Canada Centre, Toronto

References

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  1. ^ a b c Frankenberg, Eric (27 June 2019). "Spice Girls Earn $78 Million On 2019 Reunion Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. ^ Beech, Mark (25 May 2019). "Spice Girls Defy Music Business Logic With Record-Breaking Tour". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  3. ^ Waddell, Ray (11 December 2008). "Bon Jovi Scores 2008's Top-Grossing Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Top 25 Boxscores – Billboard Year In Music 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Spice Girls Set Date to Reveal Plans". The Washington Post. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  6. ^ Finn, Natalie (8 June 2007). "Spice Girls Reunion a Well-Seasoned Rumor". E!. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  7. ^ "Spice Girls announce reunion tour". BBC News. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Fans snap up Spice Girls tickets". BBC News. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2007.
  9. ^ Randall, David K. (11 August 2008). "Spice Girls, Prince Rake in Concert Cash". ABC News. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  10. ^ a b Derdeyn, Stuart (2 December 2007). "Spice Girls kick off world tour in Vancouver – fans get what they really, really want". National Post. Postmedia Network Inc. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Hudson, Polly (4 December 2007). "The Spice Girls are back!". The Mirror. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  12. ^ a b Sinclair, David (4 December 2007). "Spice Girls review: 'they remain consummate entertainers'". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  13. ^ Bray, Elisa (17 December 2007). "Girl Power back to give fans what they really really want". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Perez Hilton: Las Chicas Picante Cancelan". PerezHilton.com. 24 November 2007.
  15. ^ "Perez Hilton: They Were Hacked!". PerezHilton.com. 25 November 2007.
  16. ^ "Spice Girls Official Website". Spice Girls LLP. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  17. ^ "Spice Girls cancel world tour 'after Mels quit' – Entertainment – NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. 1 February 2008.
  18. ^ "Spice Girls Official Website". Spice Girls LLP. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  19. ^ "Spice Girls Hate Groups Online: Spice Girls Reunion Tour Cancellation Internet Hate Campaign". PopCrunch.com.
  20. ^ "Spice Girls in Concert". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Spicey Thank You". TheSpiceGirls.com. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  22. ^ a b Daly, Bridget (8 April 2008). "The Spice Girls Disappoint". HollyScoop. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  23. ^ "MEETING MELANIE C! The 004 VLOG #2". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "Spice Girls – The Return Of The Spice Girls Tour Live at New York (2008) (4K)" – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Spice Girls – The Return of the Spice Girls Philadelphia [Remastered]" – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Jane Stevenson. "Concert Review: Spice Girls – GM Place, Vancouver – December 2, 2007". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ a b c d e f g "The Return of the Spice Girls Tour 2007/2008". thespicegirls.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Concert Boxscore for the 2008-04-02 issue". Reuters. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
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