Is anyone else as psyched as I am about the fact that the Spice Girls are having a reunion tour? Back in the 90s, they were the bees knees, the cat’s pajamas, and every girl I knew adored them. It broke my heart when Ginger left, and then when they split up, I knew it was the end of the era.

Of course, I never really felt compelled to listen to their music (aside from the infectious “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life”), and I couldn’t tell you who sings what part on each song, but I really did admire them. Any band that dedicates themselves to playing characters and admits that there is nothing below the surface truly garners my respect. When it came to singing, each of the girls was completely unidentifiable, and completely generic, but their personas and costumes are so bold and exaggerated, that they’re impossible to forget. They each chose an archetype, a gender/race role or even a fetish and made it their individual image.

Back in their heyday, everyone had a favorite. Heck, I was even in a lip-syncing group that parodied them. (I was Posh, but I wanted to be Ginger…everyone wanted to be Ginger.) Seeing photos of them now is kind of a shock. Baby was pregnant, Sporty had become the hot one, and Posh, has gone from being beautiful and mysterious to the queen of all that is tacky. The biggest surprise of it all, though, was seeing how much alike they looked. It took me a minute to identify each of them. I’m just hoping that they bring back the platform heels and awesomely revealing outfits for their reunion tour, which kicks off in San Jose, CA on December 4.

They aren’t even selling tickets yet for their worldwide tour. Any information aside from the latitude and longitude of the cities they’re playing and the date they’ll be there doesn’t appear to be available. You have to pick the city you want to see them in (sadly, Chicago is not in the cards), and then “register for a chance to see the Spice Girls play” in that location. I almost wish I could actually attend one of these shows. Not for the music, hardly even for the Girls themselves, but more to see what the fanbase looks like these days. All of the pre-teenyboppers who bought their CDs back in the day are in their twenties now and have most likely moved on with their lives. I get the feeling that it will be an audience filled with gay guys dressed as Posh, Ginger, Baby, Sporty and Scary, which, in of itself, would probably make the show worth seeing.

Spice Girls – “Wannabe”