Christmas in Spiceworld Tour was the second concert tour by British girl group the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

. 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.

Background

After a period of hiatus, during which the members of the group launched their solo careers and focused on their personal lives, 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 Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

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".

Development

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. The main stage was nearly in the middle of the arena, and in its centre there was a pit that contained the band. Above the pit were four small runways onto the circular centre 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 centre on the main stage.

Concert synopsis

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 Nathan McCree (born 27 January 1969) is an English music composer and sound effects editor for multimedia projects including computer games, television, live events, and radio. He worked with Core Design between 1996 and 1998, for the first thr ...

. The girls then made their entrance on the small stage and performed "

Spice Up Your Life "Spice Up Your Life" 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, at the same time as the group was shooting ...

" as they made their way down the catwalk to the main stage, while a man on the screens delivered the lyrics in sign-language. They next performed "Something Kinda Funny" as the second song. When "

Say You'll Be There "Say You'll Be There" is a song recorded by the English girl group Spice Girls for their debut studio album ''Spice (album), Spice'' (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. La ...

" 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 Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places *Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...

" sat on

Val Doonican Michael Valentine Doonican (3 February 1927 – 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style. A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the Un ...

stools, as a gospel choir appeared and a string section rose through the floor. 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 "2 Become 1" is a song by the English 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 ...

". There was a short intermission, during which the tour dancers performed on roller skates. After the intermission, the girls reappeared and began "

Stop Stop may refer to: Places * Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...

" on the centre stage while it rotated around the stage. " Holler" was sung by them as one of the new songs. "

Who Do You Think You Are Who Do You Think You Are may refer to: Television series * ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (British TV series), a genealogy documentary with many adaptations: ** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (American TV series) ** ''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 "Wannabe" is the debut single by English girl group the Spice Girls. Written and composed by the group members in collaboration with Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produ ...

" was also remixed for the tour and "

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''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".

Incident

A crew member died on 16 December 1999 after falling "more than 80ft" at

Earls Court Arena Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds ...

while dismantling the set from the Spice Girls' performance.

Broadcast

The full concert at Earl's Court was broadcast live on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

at 8 p.m. and also included a behind-the-scenes documentary containing rehearsals and interviews with the Spice Girls.

Set list

# "

" # "Something Kinda Funny" # "

" # "Right Back at Ya" # "

Step to Me "Step to Me" is a song by the British pop group the Spice Girls. It was written by the group members with Eliot Kennedy and produced by Absolute. This song was included on the Japanese edition of the Spice Girls' second album, '' Spiceworld''. B ...

" # "

" # " Too Much" # "W.O.M.A.N" # "

" #

" Holler"

"Never Give Up on the Good Times"

" #

Encore #

Viva Forever "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 ...

Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and ...

" / "

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" is a Christmas song recorded by British glam rock band Wizzard. It was first released in December 1973 and, as with most Wizzard songs, was written and produced by the band's frontman Roy Wood—formerly ...

" #

"Wannabe" (Reprise)

Tour dates

Personnel

Performers *

Emma Bunton Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 100 million recor ...

- vocals *

Melanie Brown Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed S ...

- vocals *

Melanie Chisholm Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was n ...

- vocals *

- vocals Band * Simon Ellis - musical director / keyboards * Michael Martin - keyboards *

Paul Gendler Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

- guitar * John Thompson - bass * Fergus Gerrand - drums Brass * James Lynch - trumpet * Mike Lovitt - trumpet * Howard McGill - sax * Winston Rollins - trombone Strings * Audrey Riley - arranger * Chris Tomling - 1st violin Violins * Greg Warren Wilson * Richard George * Anne Morffe * Laura Melhewish * Darren Morgan * Helen Patterson Violas * Susan Dench * Peter Collyer * Bridget Carrie Celli * Sophie Harris * Joy Hayley Management and additional personnel * Richard Jones - tour manager * Peter Barnes - show producer, lighting & set designer * Chris Vaughan - production manager * Ray Furze - sound engineer * Darrin Henson, Melinda McKenna - choreography * Julien MacDonald and Academy Costumes - Stage outfits

References

{{Spice Girls Spice Girls concert tours 1999 concert tours