Blazingly bonkers and what we really, really wanted
Spice Girls Croke Park, Dublin
The turbocharged irascibility of the Spice Girls has, with the passing of the decades, been confirmed as their most timeless quality. On the opening night of their comeback tour, their trove of 20-year-old hits had the scratchy charm of a battered Friends
VHS tape, while the production values – bland video screens and a few fireworks – were cheerfully rickety.
But Sporty, Ginger, Baby and Scary – they would very much like us to continue to refer to them by their old sobriquets – were as immensely likeable as when karate-kicking their way into the charts with Wannabe in 1996. And that, it became quickly apparent, was all that mattered.
There was no Victoria Beckham – Posh is giving the reunion a pass. But her absence was barely noticeable.
If anything, the line-up of Geri Horner, Mels B and C and Emma Bunton had its own special chemistry, with the quartet spending what felt like half the gig hugging one another and having pretend rows. “Do you remember when Geri left… it was on my birthday,” chuckled Mel B at one point.
This was in reference to Horner – then Geri Halliwell – announcing her departure from the group in 1998. “She likes a good cuddle,” giggled Bunton as Mel B – who had reportedly required medical treatment for a painful eye infection days before the concert – then chased Horner and jokily hugged her.
There was singing and dancing, too, of course, as the Spice Girls performed live for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics. But if the irreverence was top-rank, the actual music was spottier. Uneven sound halfway through didn’t help – Bunton’s otherwise impressive vocals disappearing down a dark hole during
Let Love Lead the Way. Later there were reports of audience members leaving early in frustration at the muddy
acoustics. Mel B went on to acknowledge the complaints, saying she hoped the sound would be “much, much better” at the next show.
There is also no getting away from the uncomfortable truth that few of us have spent the past two decades immersed in Spice Girls B-sides and album cuts. Their four or five biggest hits are unquestionably ageless, every bit as evocative of the Nineties as anything by Oasis, Blur or Pulp. Accompanied by fireworks – don’t get excited, the pyrotechnics were just starting – the foursome sprung up through trap doors and were straight into one of those signature songs, the zinging epic Spice up Your Life.
Yet from there, it was quite a stretch to their other glory moments. In between, the 75,000-strong audience (almost but not entirely a sell-out) was treated to enthusiastic but forgettable stompers such as Do It and Holler.
“We’re the Spice Girls, yes indeed,” they chanted, against a martial drumbeat. “Girl power is all we need.” This landed surprisingly effectively. It was a reminder that under the laddette posturing and cheesy tie-ins, girl power’s sentiments of empowerment and sisterhood were ahead of their time.
Endless costume changes verged on overkill considering they were swapping one set of interchangeably sparkly outfits for another (only Mel B’s leopard-print jumpsuit stood out).
As darkness descended, they blazed through smashes Stop and Mama, the latter finding them reclining on a sofa emblazoned with the stripes of the Irish tricolour. All of which was merely a preamble for the track that will forever define the Spice Girls.
“I have a question,” said Horner. “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want?” An outpouring of glee and high-octane nostalgia ensued – and that was just her bandmates. And then, as further fireworks erupted, it was headfirst into Wannabe.
The Spice Girls were always a tad too ramshackle to be considered pop greats. But this was their moment of genius and, in front of an ecstatic stadium, its bonkers majesty was undiminished.