Why I Went Above and Beyond to See the Spice Girls' Reunion Tour

How far would you go to see one of your favorite groups from the '90s reunited in concert? For me, the answer was New Jersey. When I heard the Spice Girls were reuniting for a massive world tour, I was ecstatic. Ten years after the Girls created a mania all over the world as the British ambassadors of Girl Power, they were going to reunite for a world tour.

Of course, I immediately signed up for the ticket lottery. It was going to be months before I found out whether or not I had won and was going to be able to even buy tickets.

I had almost forgotten about it, when I got an email in October saying I had won and that I needed to buy the tickets immediately. I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass me by. I bought tickets to the most likely show I would be able to make on a Sunday night in New Jersey, just hours before the tickets for that date and location sold out.

I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to go and after carefully planning my life to revolve around the concert, we were on our way to see the Spice Girls reunion tour. We had to drive to an Orlando airport, fly to New York and take the PATH train to New Jersey in order to make it, but it was, oh so worth it.

The night of the concert, a huge line of mostly girls snaked in front of the Prudential Center in Newark. Even in below zero weather, there were some fans dressed as the Spice Girls. I was just as excited as the next person about the show, but you couldn't pay me to put on a tight dress and pumps in that kind of weather. There were people of all kinds there, mostly college age girls like me who were into the group when they were younger, but also parents and little kids and sorority girls and even all-black-wearing gothic teens. And we weren't the only ones that traveled a ways to see them. The group of people sitting next to us had driven hours from Washington D.C.

After a couple of hours of waiting, the lights went off and the Spice Girls rose from the stage on individual platforms to complete and utter pandemonium. They didn't even allow the crowd to recuperate from the excitement before going straight into Spice Up Your Life. After that, their energy didn't dwindle as they delivered hit after hit to fanatical crowds. When the girls sang "Slam it to the left if you're having a good time," you better believe everyone in that arena was doing just that.

Say what you will about them but they're actually talented. Who would have thought? They're lyrics aren't the most deep and meaningful (though if you pay attention, you might pick up a tip or two about safe sex); but there's no denying that these girls can sing. Even Victoria Beckham, for those of you wondering, proved her vocal chops singing all her individual parts of their songs. However, when the girls all had solo numbers, she opted to do an awkward runway walk. For the rest of the girls, the solo portions were a much bigger production. Ginger Spice did a rendition of "It's Raining Men" complete with umbrellas and hunky guys. Mel C., by far the most talented Spice, got the crowd jumping for her dance hit, "I Turn to You." Scary Spice did an S & M themed cover of "Are You Going to Go My Way," while wielding a whip and dancing provocatively (to put it nicely) around a member of the audience who was tied up to a ladder onstage.

That wasn't the only racy aspect of the show. During their performance of Holler, the girls, sans Geri who left had left the group when they released that song in 2000, strapped dog collars on their dancers and walked them on all fours down the stage. They also had one of the many costume changes right on stage behind opaque heart shaped stalls.

My only friend crazy enough to travel to Jersey for a concert with me was sold by the end of the 5th or 6th song when she turned to me and said, "This is the best concert I've ever been to." I'm sure she wasn't alone. For me, they come in a close second to The Flaming Lips, which could only be topped if Sporty Spice had walked on the crowd inside a giant plastic bubble.

The show was nothing short of spectacular. It was extremely well performed and choreographed. They had dances of all types from tango to pole dancing with everything from flamenco to salsa to hip hop in between. They even formed a conga line with all their dancers during their final song. And to complement their stunning performance, the ever changing set had them emerging from all areas of the stage in new costumes and with different props. The best part is that they seemed just as overjoyed to be performing together as we were to see them perform, frequently hugging and joking with each other. During their song, Mama, which they dedicated to their mothers and children, Mel B. brought her newborn up onstage and they all played with him while they sang. Meanwhile, pictures of the girls with their mothers flashed in the giant screens behind them.

Just before aptly ending, with Goodbye they did a disco medley that started off with Celebration and ended with We Are Family. But of course, no concert is complete without an encore. The Fab Five came back out to earth shattering screams with Wannabe, their first hit, and finished off the show with a reprise of Spice Up Your Life while glitter and confetti streamed from the stage around them.

Overall, the show was everything you would expect from a Spice Girls concert with none of the pretentiousness you expect from a massive reunion tour. With few exceptions, it wasn't very moving or life altering, but it was thrilling as hell and pure hardcore fun.

All planes, trains and cabs considered, would I do it again? Would I skip class, work, meetings, travel over 1000 miles and brave the freezing cold to see the Return of the Spice Girls tour? Duh!