Well the reviews are in (I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with baited breath) – and despite the lackluster reception at the Victoria’s Secret show, the Spice Girls’ first concert has actually gotten pretty good reviews. The sold-out Vancouver show had over 15,000 people in attendance. The girls were never known for their singing, so no one’s really evaluating them on that. They weren’t even the greatest dancers. But they were good performers and knew how to please an audience, and according to the professionals (ie people that get paid to review Spice Girls concerts… what a job) the girls still have it.

“The solid gold Spice Girls,” said London’s Evening Standard, a reference to golden outfits the “girl power” quintet sported during the show, one of several costume changes on the night. The reviewer called the performance “ebullient pop music of a very high standard, presented with panache, and highly unlikely to provoke any attendance at the refund window.”

Despite the sassy young singers who stormed the pop world in the 1990s all now being in their 30s, four of them with children, they had yet to pass their sell-by date. “There seems no diminution in the energy they are prepared to expend, or the lengths they will go to to please the audience.”

The Vancouver Sun noted the crush for Spice Girls merchandise, underlining the lasting appeal of Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, Melanie “Sporty” Chisholm, Geri “Ginger” Halliwell, Melanie “Scary” Brown and Emma “Baby” Bunton. “Just as it was 10 years ago, the show wasn’t about great singing or dancing,” wrote the reviewer. “But it was about great entertainment. And the girls delivered the spice.”

[From Reuters]

I know, I know. Breathe your sighs of relief. There’s some debate as to whether or not they were lip-syncing… but the debate seems to be mostly between critics, as their fans don’t seem to give a rip. And despite reportedly telling him not to attend, Posh’s husband David Beckham showed up anyway. Good for him, he knew a trap when he saw one. Several reviewers did note that all the girls had a solo performance except for Posh. Apparently she’s the worst singer of the group. That’s kind of like being the worst brussel sprout in the bowl, right?