Melanie C @ The Phoenix, May 8

A sizeable throng ranging in age, race and gender greeted Melanie Chisholm’s return to Toronto in the wake of the Spice Girls reunion tour, but her past career as Sporty Spice was nowhere to be seen or heard during the show. Although, her general sunniness and fan appreciation, and onstage Care Bear, brought to mind the blissed-out vibes of the ladies Spice. Seeing the excitement she brought on all by her lonesome (backed by a crack band of blokes) was inspiring. But perhaps that shouldn't surprise us; after all, having battled depression, an eating disorde and bad tattoos, the down-to-earth Chisholm has always seemed the most human of the Spice Girls.

Throw her powerful voice into the mix, and it's easy to see her charm.As she stepped out and launched into material from her five(!) solo records, the crowd’s devotion was evident, with fans consistently mouthing the words, and several times, singing along. There were also a myriad of banners in the front row and props that audience members had prepared for the show, including the blowing of bubbles. All of this chicanery prompted the muscular diva to call her fans “nutters”. Note that this wasn’t her only piece of British slang used during the event — at one point she said that clapping along with music did wonders for "bingo wings", a reference to flabby arms. Bless our barely-comprehensible ancestors from across the pond.Her ability to emote with her vocals was impresssive, particularly early on when she hit her notes perfectly as she sang of dreams being bought and souls being sold. There were moments when more than a few audience members seemed positively verklempt, and Chisholm noted our city’s enthusiastic response, exclaiming ‘I fookin’ love you’. She closed with a meaty encore that ended with the super-catchy "I Turn To You". On the way out, I overheard a concertgoer fiercely say to a friend “Robyn can go right home!” It seems like, Spice aside, Mel C will be around for a while.