Spice Up Your Life

My head is pounding and my throat’s raw, because I have a Spice Girls hangover. I don’t think the IZOD center in Rutherford, NJ has rocked so much since, well, never. I have to admit I was kind of embarrassed to tell people I was going to see the Girls. When I did, I was generally met with expressions of “Wow, you’re a loser!” I was also apprehensive about the show itself—would these ladies be able to throw together a decent performance after several years of being Spice Moms? Would I kick myself for plunking down more than $100 for a ticket?

When they opened with “Spice Up Your Life,” which got the crowd of Spice impersonators slammin’ to the left and shakin’ to the right, I knew it was worth every cent. They performed their greatest hits, including some of my personal favorites: “Say You’ll Be There,” “Who Do You Think You Are?” and, of course, the song that started it all, “Wannabe.”

Then each one performed a few solo songs, except for Victoria, who just did a runway strut up and down the stage while faux paparazzi snapped her. But it’s ok—she’s fabulous enough to do whatever she wants. Besides, it gave me time to scan the front row for David Beckham, whom I’ve heard runs to his seat after the lights go down to avoid being spotted.

Yeah, yeah, I know there are a lot of Spice haters out there. I was even on the bandwagon for a while, wondering if simplistic lyrics and crazy platform shoes are really enough for sper-stardom. But you just can’t argue with a live show this rockin’. Zig-a-zig-a!