Growing up, Scary Spice was my costume of choice every Halloween. My hair fit the part and for some reason I owned a leopard print outfit when I was ten years old.  In those days, the Spice Girls were the best thing from Britain (sorry Prince William, I still thought you had cooties at this point).  

To make a long story short, I cried when the Spice Girls broke up. I pigged out on ice cream and chocolate and felt like I had been dumped by the love of my life. Apparently, the definition of "Girl Power" still allowed Posh, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Baby to gossip, fight and bicker. Needless to say, I was the first in line for tickets when the Girls announced their 2008 world tour entitled “Return of the Spice Girls”.

Childhood memories of collecting Spice Girls memorabilia and fighting over who could impersonate which girl best filled my mind upon arriving at Chicago’s United Center. No, I did not dress up as Scary Spice (I decided this would be inappropriate, and quite honestly, the outfit no longer fit), but I did wear my favorite Spice Girls inspired stilettos to compensate.  

The lights dimmed and the predominately female crowd (with the exception of the “Spice Boys” sporting their matching t-shirts) roared in excitement. Break dancers pumped up the crowd as bright lights flashed and the Spice Girls finally appeared.

Decked out in themed Roberto Cavalli outfits, the Girls sang “Wannabe”, “Viva Forever” and a few others.  After singing their own best hits, the Spice Girls began to perform the hits of other artists. “Celebration”, originally performed by Kool & the Gang, as well as “It’s Raining Men”, originally performed by The Weather Girls had everyone in the audience singing and dancing.

As much as I love the catchy lyrics of “It’s Raining Men” I was extremely disappointed by the small range of original Spice Girls music at this concert. Later in the concert, Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm) and Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell) sang a few songs from their short-lived solo careers.  

Despite this overall lack of material, their performance of “Mama” pulled at my heart-strings. A slideshow in the background featured pictures of the Spice Girls as children, as well as their mothers.

Fast forward about ten years from when this song was originally recorded and the Spice Girls now have their own kids.  Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) pulled her kids onstage from the front row, as did Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) and Scary Spice (Melanie Brown). This song was a perfect way for the Spice Girls to introduce their children, as well as the new motherly roles they foster, to their longtime fans.

Before I knew it, the Spice Girls sang their last song and disappeared offstage.  The audience cheered for an encore (with the exception of one of the Spice Boys who seemed a little teary eyed) and of course, we got one.  The extreme energy of “Spice Up Your Life” was a great choice for a finale.

This bittersweet night − made sweet by seeing my idols live and made bitter by realizing that they were no longer as fabulous as I once thought they were − came to an end just as the encore’s confetti settled to the ground.

As much as I love the inspiring “Girl Power” message behind the Spice Girls, this performance was a definite reality check. The Spice Girls weren’t the best band ever created, nor do they have anything more to offer than the occasional dance party song.