Spice Girls' reunion 'not about the money'
The Spice Girls announced their reunion today and insisted they’re really, really not in it for the money.
Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Mel C and Mel B – aka Posh, Ginger, Baby, Sporty and Scary – ended months of speculation by unveiling details of a world tour for which they are reportedly pocketing £10m each.
They will play 11 concerts on six continents, kicking off in Los Angeles on December 7.
Today was the first time the five had appeared in public together since Halliwell walked out on the band in dramatic fashion nine years ago.
“Imagine you got divorced and you’ve got back together with your ex-husband,” was Halliwell’s description of being reunited with her band mates.
But Beckham could not resist a dig, quipping: “She just appreciates the fact we’ve let her back in.”
All claimed they are now the best of friends.
“We’ve forgiven her,” Beckham, 33, said of Halliwell. “I love all the girls. Yes, we argue, but we’re like sisters.”
Halliwell, 34, likened the reunion to “organising a G8 summit”.
The tour will certainly be lucrative but Halliwell declared: “Money is not an issue. We’re doing this because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a Spice Girl again. Who would turn that down?
“For us, it’s about celebrating the past, and it’s about our fans. It’s really, really the right time. It was now or never.”
They repeatedly dodged questions about how much money they will make.
Mel C, 33, has spent the past few years vowing never to take part in a reunion.
“A girl’s allowed to change her mind,” she said today by way of explanation.
Bunton, 31, said simply: “I wanted to be a Spice Girl again.”
The band are billing this as a “farewell tour” and thank you to fans, with Halliwell declaring: “This is going to be a one-night stand.”
But industry insiders predict they will record an album of new material if their comeback provokes enough interest from fans.
The Spice Girls sold 55 million albums and had nine UK number one singles in their heyday.
It is more than a decade since Girl Power stormed the charts and six years since the band split.
They now have six children between them and a seventh on the way – Bunton is due to give birth within the next few weeks. Mel B, 32, brought baby daughter Angel Iris along to today’s launch.
Beckham said the girls would have a creche on tour.
She will also be bringing along footballer husband David, as the tour coincides with a break in the US soccer season.
“He’s going to be on tour with the kids and all of our families. He’s so excited about us getting back together,” she said.
“My main reason for doing this is for my kids – so they can see what mummy used to do. I’m going to be the cool one in the family for once!”
The five announced their comeback before the world’s media at the 02 Arena in London, formerly the Millennium Dome.
Mel B proved she is still the shoutiest Spice, at one point diving into the audience and attempting to forcibly undress a male journalist who suggested the band may be too unfit to recreate their original dance routines.
The Spice Girls have been described as poor role models because they have six children but only one husband between them.
Halliwell angrily rebuffed the criticism.
“The fact of the matter is we are real people. There are millions of women out there who are single mothers. We are examples of our time. We’re not perfect and we never claimed to be,” she said.
The girls proved reluctant to draw comparisons with Take That, contemporaries who have recently staged a hugely successful comeback.
“Why would we want to talk about Take That? We want to talk about the Spice Girls,” said a clearly annoyed Mel B.
Mel C chipped in: “Take That have had a fantastic comeback. But the one thing that’s very different is that we were truly global. No disrespect…”
The girls promised to perform all their classic hits during the tour.
But they refused a challenge to sing live at the press conference in response to a report that their voices will be digitally enhanced on the tour.
“We don’t need to prove anything,” Mel C said.
The group dashed hopes that they will perform at this weekend’s Concert for Diana, citing Bunton’s advanced pregnancy.
“We would have loved to be there this weekend. It’s just unfortunate timing,” said Mel C.
The band famously praised Margaret Thatcher in a 1990s interview, calling her “the first Spice Girl”.
Today they demonstrated their knowledge of the current political landscape.
Asked about Gordon Brown, Mel B replied: “Who is he?”
Halliwell gave her verdict: “I actually met him the other day. He seems a nice enough fellow.”
Ticket details are available from www.thespicegirls.com.
The tour dates are as follows:
2007
December 7 – Los Angeles
December 8 – Las Vegas
December 11 – New York City
December 15 – London
December 20 – Cologne
December 23 – Madrid
2008
January 10 – Beijing
January 12 – Hong Kong
January 17 – Sydney
January 20 – Cape Town
January 24 – Buenos Aires
