Spice Girls reunion worth 9 year wait, say critics

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - It has been nine years coming, but some early reviews of the Spice Girls' world reunion tour that kicked off in Vancouver, Canada, on Sunday said it was worth the wait.

"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 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."

Not everyone was convinced.

London's free daily the Metro headlined its review: "Spice Girls: Embarrassing and Lacklustre," although it conceded that more than 15,000 fans attending the sold-out gig seemed to enjoy the night nonetheless.