So here’s the story, the Spice Girls are doing a reunion tour, but Posh won’t be in tow. Do we really blame Posh for turning down the opportunity to relive her youth? As the Spice Girls get set to tour the country on their new Viva Forever Reunion Tour, Posh says Viva Never. The Spice Girls have always been everybody’s childhood favourite, with the girl who knew all the words to the Wannabe rap being the coolest kid in the class.
It is true that bands love a reunion tour, arguably in a last ditch attempt to make some more money, with Steps, McBusted and Take That all undertaking sold out tours, the Spice Girls aren’t any different. But why are they doing it? Is it really to please the fans?
[pullquote]Fans are so desperate to get their hands on these tickets[/pullquote]
With the tour deeming so popular, they have added extra dates and rumours of it going global, are their fans naïve to think it’ll be like old times? The reunion tour has the potential to let a lot of fans down, reminding those revelling in the reunion of their childhood idols that the novelty wore off twenty years ago.
Victoria Beckham, now one of the most famous names in fashion, has no need to re-join her girls on stage for a desperate attempt at regaining fame. VB is allegedly worth over 10 times the amount of her fellow Spice Girls, with a reported network of $450 million, Posh no longer needs to pretend she can sing.
The Spice Girls have remained in the background of current news, with Gerri Halliwell marrying one of the biggest names in Formula One Racing, and Mel B’s airing her own reality show ‘It’s a Scary World’ in the US. But always shadowed by the success of Posh’s fashion empire, could this be the girls’ attempt at regaining some fame in their later years?
Admittedly, Take That’s reunion was just as, if not more, successful than the first time around leaving Robbie to deal with his own eccentricities. However, at Spice Girl tickets starting at an astronomical £77, for a seat so far away from the stage it may as well be out of the arena, the band won’t be short of a few bob after they’ve finished with their Viva Forever tour. Fans are so desperate to get their hands on these tickets; they’re buying from resale site for almost 12 times their original price. There is an overwhelming demand from the fans for a reunion reflected in the almost instantaneous sell out of tickets, but will they sing any of their classics? Or will it be a new image?
Call me a pessimist, but will four women in their mid-forties singing ‘if you wannabe my lover’ in a union jack dresses and leopard print catsuits have the same impact it did 22 years ago?
All I have to say to the Spice Girls’ attempt at reuniting is, stop right now, thank you very much.
Orlagh Husband
In recent years there has been a resurgence in 90s nostalgia, from fashion to music, reunions of all kinds are happening and the Spice Girls are no exception. Minus, Victoria Beckham (otherwise known as Posh Spice) the band plan to tour Summer 2019, with various shows across the UK.
[pullquote]I feel that there is a market for the band’s live tour[/pullquote]
Tickets sold out in minutes, after being released last Saturday, the band’s lowest price seat was around £63, with the resales, going into triple figures. I feel like this is an unfair price to pay for a band that hasn’t released new music in nearly 20 years and I have to wonder how the women of the Spice Girls feel about this. All of them, aside from Posh, come from a working-class background, and doesn’t this alienate a significant amount of their fanbase if they can’t afford the tickets? It makes me feel like the women aren’t doing this for their fans, but only cementing their wealth for the future, when they can no longer “swing it, shake it, move it, make it” without breaking a hip.
I have to wonder whether the band is worth this price, don’t get me wrong, I love the Spice Girls but are they truly the Spice Girls without Beckham? I would argue, no. Victoria has fully moved on from those days, with her fashion brand taking off in the States. The other girls have clearly had successes too, but Beckham didn’t reach her peak during the ‘Spice’ days and therefore, I don’t feel like she desires the nostalgia for her 20s like the others. She has also commented on her lack of musicality and her stage fright, recently explaining on Bustle.com that “I hung up my microphone some time ago and I get scared when I get up on stage and see a mic.”
I feel that there is a market for the band’s live tour. Other band’s from the 90s such as Steps have reunited with great success. However, I feel like there is another level to which the Spice Girls are able to appeal to, with the youth demographic learning about their mission of ‘Girl Power’ from 20 years ago. I wouldn’t exactly call the Spice Girls’ brand of feminism perfect, especially considering that the girl’s considered themselves ‘Thatcherites’ during the 90s. However, the light-hearted dance music and resurgence of 90s culture makes it the perfect time for them to reform.
Sian Dickie
