It isn’t the plot of their upcoming movie. It isn’t the mystery location of Baby Spice’s new tattoo. It certainly isn’t what they think of the prospects for world peace. No, the only thing we at KidNews really really wanna know from the Spice Girls is: What was up with their way-too brief appearance before loyal Chicago fans last Tuesday???
By the time the Spice Girls finally made it to Chicago’s Planet Hollywood at about 6 p.m., dropping off memorabilia from their upcoming film, “Spiceworld,” crowds had been waiting for hours. Fans had begun gathering in front of the celebrity restaurant as early as 9 a.m., with only the Spice Girls motto “Think Positive” to keep them warm. Bundled in hats, gloves, scarves and double socks, dedicated fans patiently passed the long hours in the cold, all for the chance to catch a glimpse of their fave Spice Girl. They waved signs proclaiming devotion and love for the fab five and sang the group’s songs to keep busy and pass the time.
A few early-worm fans were lucky enough to make it inside the toasty restaurant. The rest found places at curbside, out in the freezing weather (we’re talking a wind chill of 27 below zero!).
Most of the crowd were kids who either had skipped school or left early (with their parents’ permission, right?). One group of girls we talked to admitted taking a “personal day”to reserve some makeup time in the Planet Hollywood restroom. Each one of the five girls spent the afternoon turning into her favorite Spice Girl… complete with hair and costume. “We just ate and sang songs in the bathroom all day,” said Michelle A., 13, of Valpraiso, Ind. So this must be Girl Power at its finest.
The crowd wasn’t just girls celebrating their positivity; adults and boys, too, were prepared to battle the freezing cold in true rock-band loyalty. “I feel like my feet are going to fall off!” said Anthony A. from Dundee. Anything for the Spice Girls!
And as the day wore on, the crowd grew larger and larger… and Spice mania seemed to become Spice insanity, with an estimated 9,600 fans waiting in the torturous cold. Helicopters hovered above, cameras flashed, and fans sang and danced to Spice tunes to keep warm. One crazy fan was even dressed, head to toe, in Spiderman gear to keep warm. WNBA stars Rebecca Lobo and Ruthie Hollyfield dropped by before heading to the Bulls game to say hello to the patient but eager Spice wannabes. (Rebecca even revealed that her favorite Spice is Sporty Spice.)
At about 5:30 p.m., fans started chanting, “We want the Spice Girls! We want the Spice Girls!” And just as toes and fingers began to numb and noses began to run, a very cool red double-decker bus arrived with the famed Brits in tow. There they were, count ’em and name ’em: Sporty, Baby, Posh, Ginger and Scary. All five very bundled Girls (no short, itsy-teeny-weeny dresses here!) waved enthusiastically to the crowd. They hopped onto the stage and yelled hellos and thank-yous to their “excellent Chicago fans,” sang a few bars from their hit “Wannabe” – and then they went inside.
Could that be it? Is that what the loyal Chicago Spice fans stayed for all day in the miserable cold? Even skipped school for? Three minutes of shouts and a mere 15-second performance (if you could call it that) certainly could not be all! To our disappointment, the warm loyalty of our Spice fans failed to warm the hearts of those five British rockers. Or maybe the freezing Chicago weather was just too much for the Girls.
KidNews was lucky enough to get in the door to check out how much “fun” those wacky gals would have in a much warmer environment. And after the crowd waited for at least 45 minutes, the gal-pal group reappeared, this time donning new Planet Hollywood leather jackets. In between smiling and chanting “Girl Power,” they managed to donate a pair of platform cheetah shoes to the restaurant. Then they made another quick “thank you” – and disappeared into the night. They were off to do a sound check for their appearance on “Oprah” the next day.
“All that I want from you is to promise you, we’ll be there,” the Spice Girls sing. OK, so they kept their promise – they were there for Chicago fans. But if you blinked, you probably missed ’em.
