OTTAWA - If one had not kept up with the individual career paths of each member of the Spice Girls, the Mel C who appeared at Bronson Centre on Monday might have come as a surprise.
Most people on this side of the Atlantic still think of her as Sporty, one of five original membesr of the Spice Girls, the stylish and heavily made-up Brit pop phenomenon whose anthemic songs and eye-popping videos launched a wave of so-called girl power more than a decade ago.
On Monday, in dark jeans, black top, her face half covered with sleek dark bangs, she was an indie-rock goddess who came alive in the spotlight, the frontwoman of a powerful band that included two guitarists, keyboards, bass and drums.
Mel C, aka Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, during a solo concert tour that took her to the Bronson Centre in Ottawa Monday night.
John Major, The Ottawa Citizen
At the start of an impressively physical performance, the British singer pushed her voice to maximum torment on feisty songs like Understand and Go, but soon switched gears to expose her vulnerability in a string of softer songs, including What If I Stay. "Well, we're letting our hair down tonight, aren't we?" Mel said breathlessly, wiping the sweat after she'd been at it for 20 minutes or so, her crisp moves occasionally recalling the choreography of the Spice years.
Demonstrating a sure hand with the audience, Mel C worked hard at engaging the crowd, apparently undeterred by the dismal turnout. Just two or three hundred people showed up, out of a possible 900, perhaps a sign the Toronto-based promoter who booked the show wasn't able to get the word out.
Oh well. Fans who showed up were over the moon at the opportunity to get within spitting distance of their childhood idol, without battling the throngs at a stadium. Despite the sit-down nature of the auditorium at Bronson Centre, no one sat, preferring to lurk as close to the stage as possible. A handful of superfans had also been to the tour-opening concert in Montreal the night before.
On the heels of the recent Spice Girls reunion tour, Mel is heading across the country with a setlist focusing on material from her latest disc, This Time, just released in Canada but available in Europe for some time. The lilting first single Carolyna generated a fervent response in concert, inspiring a singalong among audience members, every cellphone raised to document the moment.
With dozens of cameras, camcorders and cellphones capturing the proceedings, it was a ridiculously well documented event, a show of technology that Mel admitted she wasn't sure about.
When she first starting performing live, anyone with a video camera was ejected from the show, she pointed out. "Now, I don't know what to feel. Should I feel like they're bootlegging me, or should I feel like they're promoting me?"
She proposed a deal. "If any of it's shit, it never sees the light of day," she said, looking for assurance. "Right? We got a deal?"
Sure thing, sister.
Anyway, among the show's highlights were older songs, including rousing versions of When You're Gone, the song Mel recorded with Bryan Adams a few years back, and the raging party song Yeh Yeh Yeh, with its 'gotta have a good time' chorus. Without question, Mel made sure her performance lived up to the theme of the song.
With a joke that he's considering changing his name to Dude Spice, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Adam Crossley opened the concert with a set of his own introspective, cabaret-flavoured rock. Drum free, accompanied simply by
Most people on this side of the Atlantic still think of her as Sporty, one of five original membesr of the Spice Girls, the stylish and heavily made-up Brit pop phenomenon whose anthemic songs and eye-popping videos launched a wave of so-called girl power more than a decade ago.
On Monday, in dark jeans, black top, her face half covered with sleek dark bangs, she was an indie-rock goddess who came alive in the spotlight, the frontwoman of a powerful band that included two guitarists, keyboards, bass and drums.
Mel C, aka Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, during a solo concert tour that took her to the Bronson Centre in Ottawa Monday night.
John Major, The Ottawa Citizen
At the start of an impressively physical performance, the British singer pushed her voice to maximum torment on feisty songs like Understand and Go, but soon switched gears to expose her vulnerability in a string of softer songs, including What If I Stay. "Well, we're letting our hair down tonight, aren't we?" Mel said breathlessly, wiping the sweat after she'd been at it for 20 minutes or so, her crisp moves occasionally recalling the choreography of the Spice years.
Demonstrating a sure hand with the audience, Mel C worked hard at engaging the crowd, apparently undeterred by the dismal turnout. Just two or three hundred people showed up, out of a possible 900, perhaps a sign the Toronto-based promoter who booked the show wasn't able to get the word out.
Oh well. Fans who showed up were over the moon at the opportunity to get within spitting distance of their childhood idol, without battling the throngs at a stadium. Despite the sit-down nature of the auditorium at Bronson Centre, no one sat, preferring to lurk as close to the stage as possible. A handful of superfans had also been to the tour-opening concert in Montreal the night before.
On the heels of the recent Spice Girls reunion tour, Mel is heading across the country with a setlist focusing on material from her latest disc, This Time, just released in Canada but available in Europe for some time. The lilting first single Carolyna generated a fervent response in concert, inspiring a singalong among audience members, every cellphone raised to document the moment.
With dozens of cameras, camcorders and cellphones capturing the proceedings, it was a ridiculously well documented event, a show of technology that Mel admitted she wasn't sure about.
When she first starting performing live, anyone with a video camera was ejected from the show, she pointed out. "Now, I don't know what to feel. Should I feel like they're bootlegging me, or should I feel like they're promoting me?"
She proposed a deal. "If any of it's shit, it never sees the light of day," she said, looking for assurance. "Right? We got a deal?"
Sure thing, sister.
Anyway, among the show's highlights were older songs, including rousing versions of When You're Gone, the song Mel recorded with Bryan Adams a few years back, and the raging party song Yeh Yeh Yeh, with its 'gotta have a good time' chorus. Without question, Mel made sure her performance lived up to the theme of the song.
With a joke that he's considering changing his name to Dude Spice, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Adam Crossley opened the concert with a set of his own introspective, cabaret-flavoured rock. Drum free, accompanied simply by
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