National tour by Spice Girls | |
Location | England, Europe |
---|---|
Start date | 4 December 1999 |
End date | 15 December 1999 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 8 |
Attendance | 153,717 |
Box office | US$5,784,510 |
Spice Girls concert chronology |
Christmas in Spiceworld Tour was the second concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. The eight-show tour was launched following "solo projects, marriages, motherhood and another round of slagging in the press", as a reunion for the girls. [1] The eight-show tour was attended by more than 153,000 people, grossing $5.7 million in ticket sales. The first four shows saw the group play at Manchester Evening News Arena to over 72,400 fans, grossing $2.6 million; the second portion of the tour saw the group play another four shows at Earls Court Arena to 81,300 fans, grossing $3.1 million. [2]
After a period of hiatus, during which the members of the group launched their solo careers and focused on their personal lives, [1] the media started speculating that they would break-up. However, in April 1999, they announced a Christmas tour for that year. Band member Victoria Beckham commented about the tour, saying, "We can't wait. We've had a bit of time to come home, chill out, do bits and pieces on our own so we're going to get back together". [3]
The stage was their most complex and most accommodating. It was set up at the far right corner of the arena with a small platform with some props such as Christmas trees. From the small platform, there was a 100ft catwalk that led to a pentagonal main stage capped with a giant icicle. [4] The main stage was nearly in the middle of the arena, and in its center there was a pit that contained the band. Above the pit were four small runways onto the circular center piece of the stage which could be raised up and rotated. Above the main stage, in addition to stage lights, there were Christmas-type features such as a fake ice pillar. During the whole show the girls would move from the main stage to the circular one in the center on the main stage.
The show was divided into three sections: Forever Spice, Supergirls, and It's Christmas!. The concert starts out with a musical intro composed by Nathan McCree. The girls then made their entrance on the small stage and performed "Spice Up Your Life" as they made their way down the catwalk to the main stage, while a man on the screens delivered the lyrics in sign-language. [4] They next performed "Something Kinda Funny" as the second song. When "Say You'll Be There" was performed, it started with a slightly faster a cappella version of the song. They next sang "Right Back At Ya", introduced by the girls as a comeback song and as a get back to the critics, who said they would split. Next was "Step to Me", and then they sang "Mama" sat on Val Doonican stools, as a gospel choir appeared and a string section rose through the floor. [4] After a performance of "Too Much", "W.O.M.A.N" was introduced as a new song from their third album. For the last song of the set, Mel B and Emma Bunton would go into the audience and pick two members of the audience to join them in "2 Become 1". [4]
There was a short intermission, during which the tour dancers performed on roller skates. [4] After the intermission, the girls reappeared and began "Stop" on the center stage while it rotated around the stage. "Holler" was sung by them as one of the new songs. "Who Do You Think You Are" was remixed into an orchestral song. "Never Give Up On The Good Times" had an interlude before the final verse and the girls acted as superheroes. "Wannabe" was also remixed for the tour and "Goodbye" was performed with a choir and ended with a long orchestral interlude as the girls left the stage. At the beginning of the third section, church bells were heard before "Viva Forever" started. The choir performed for the final time with the Spice Girls during "Viva Forever". Next, the girls sang a Christmas medley, before reprising "Wannabe". [4]
A crew member died on 16 December 1999 after falling "more than 80ft" at Earls Court Arena while dismantling the set from the Spice Girls' performance. [5]
The full concert at Earl's Court was broadcast live on Sky One at 8 p.m. and also included a behind-the-scenes documentary containing rehearsals and interviews with the Spice Girls. [6]
Encore
Date [1] | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 December 1999 | Manchester | England | Manchester Evening News Arena | 72,408 / 72,408 | $2,648,990 |
5 December 1999 | |||||
7 December 1999 | |||||
8 December 1999 | |||||
11 December 1999 | London | Earls Court Arena | 81,309 / 81,309 | $3,135,520 | |
12 December 1999 | |||||
14 December 1999 | |||||
15 December 1999 | |||||
Total | 153,717 / 153,717 (100%) | $5,784,510 |
Performers
Band
Brass
Strings
Violins
Violas
Celli
Management and additional personnel
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ; Melanie C ; Emma Bunton ; Geri Halliwell-Horner ; and Victoria Beckham. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time. With their "girl power" mantra, the Spice Girls redefined the girl-group concept by targeting a young female fanbase. They led the teen pop resurgence of the 1990s, were a major part of the Cool Britannia era, and became popular culture icons of the decade.
"Holler" is a song by British girl group Spice Girls, from their third studio album, Forever (2000). It was written by the group, with additional writing by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels and Fred Jerkins III, with Darkchild also serving as the producer. The track was released on 23 October 2000 in the United Kingdom by Virgin Records as the lead single from Forever, as a double A-side single with "Let Love Lead the Way"; the group had previously premiered the song on their official website on 11 September. "Holler" is an R&B and dance song, depicting a departure from the group's past bubblegum pop works. Lyrically, it consists of the members singing "come-ons" to a male.
Emma Lee Bunton is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the fact that she was the youngest member.
"Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, Spiceworld (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two. It is a pop ballad with Spanish-style elements. The song's theme is about a summer romance during a holiday vacation, as the lyrics discuss recent experiences and memories. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 20 July 1998 by Virgin Records.
Michelle Stephenson is a British pop singer and television presenter. At the age of 17, she was briefly a member of the girl group that would go on to become the Spice Girls.
"2 Become 1" is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, Spice (1996). "2 Become 1" is an R&B-influenced pop ballad that features instrumentation from a guitar, an electronic keyboard and string instruments. The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of contraception. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against time-lapse footage of Times Square in New York City, was completely shot against a blue screen at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed.
"Too Much" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, Spiceworld (1997). The group members co-wrote the song with its producers, Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins—the songwriting and production duo known as Absolute—while the group was shooting scenes for their film Spice World.
"Goodbye" is a song recorded by British girl group Spice Girls. It was written by the group, Richard Stannard, and Matt Rowe, while it was produced by the latter two. The song became the group's first song without the vocals of Geri Halliwell. It was released by Virgin Records on 14 December 1998 and was later included on their third studio album Forever (2000). "Goodbye" is a pop ballad that lyrically consists of the group's farewell to a friend, specifically Halliwell. The lyrics were also seen, by the media and fans alike, as the group's end, although the idea was dismissed by the members.
"Let Love Lead the Way" is a song by British girl group Spice Girls, from their third studio album, Forever (2000). It was written by the band members, with additional writing by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III and Harvey Mason Jr., while production was handled by Darkchild and Mason Jr. The track was released as a double A-side single with "Holler" on 23 October 2000 in the United Kingdom by Virgin Records, and served as the lead single from Forever. "Let Love Lead the Way" is an R&B ballad which lyrically finds the group singing words of encouragement for the future to a girl, which some critics believed was directed to Geri Halliwell, former member of the group. Group member Melanie C described the track's lyrics as being "just about love conquering all".
"What Took You So Long?" is the debut solo single of English singer Emma Bunton from her debut solo studio album, A Girl Like Me (2001). The song was written by Bunton, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, John Themis and Dave Morgan, and produced by Stannard and Gallagher in Biffco Studios in Dublin, Ireland. It was released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001. A pop rock song, its sound is influenced by the work of AOR artists such as Sheryl Crow, Gabrielle, and the band Texas. For the lyrics, Bunton explained that the song is about men taking longer than women to realise they are in love, a concept inspired by her past romantic relationships. The song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with many of them praising the melody and Bunton's vocal delivery, while others were critical of its production.
The Spiceworld Tour was the debut concert tour by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their first two studio albums, Spice (1996) and Spiceworld (1997). The sell-out European/North American tour ran from February to August 1998, after which it returned to the UK in September 1998 for a series of stadium shows. The final concert at London's Wembley Stadium was filmed and broadcast live on pay-per-view, for later VHS release in 1998 and eventual DVD release in 2008.
Girl Power! Live in Istanbul was a two-night concert by English girl group the Spice Girls. The concerts, which were organized by Pepsi as part of the group's sponsorship deal, were performed at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on 12 and 13 October 1997.
A B-stage is a small, secondary stage, featured at pop and rock concerts held in arenas and stadia, and is usually located in the middle of the concert floor, connected to the main stage by a walkway.
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, as Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell had left the group in May 1998.
"Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls for their greatest hits album Greatest Hits (2007). It was written by the Spice Girls, Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, whilst produced by the latter two. It was released as the only single from the album on 5 November 2007 by Virgin Records. The song was the first commercial single release to feature the group's original lineup since Geri Halliwell left in 1998. It was also the official Children in Need single of 2007. It is their last studio single to date.
Spice Girls Live at Wembley Stadium is the third video album by English girl group the Spice Girls. It was released on VHS on 9 November 1998 by Virgin Records, and was filmed at Wembley Stadium in London on 20 September 1998 during the Spiceworld Tour. The concert was first broadcast live in a pay-per-view special on Sky Box Office, and although the television broadcast was completely live, studio vocals were dubbed into several songs for the video version of the performance. It received a DVD release in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2008.
Viva Forever! is a jukebox musical based on the songs of 1990s British girl-group the Spice Girls. It was written by Jennifer Saunders, produced by Judy Craymer and directed by Paul Garrington.
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