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Spice Girls kick off world tour in Canada |
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - "Girl Power" returned on Sunday as Britain's Spice Girls kicked off their long-awaited world reunion tour with a more sophisticated look than when they first stormed the pop world in the 1990s.
The quintet -- known by their nicknames Posh, Baby, Sporty Ginger and Scary -- opened their show before a sold-out audience of more than 15,000 people in Vancouver with three of their mega-hits, including "Spice Up Your Life."
"How ya doing?" Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm asked the raucous crowd in the opening set that also included a video images of the group's history.
The celebrities in the audience included soccer star David Beckham, husband of Victoria "Posh" Beckham, and singer Avril Lavigne.
The Vancouver show launched a tour that will wind its way though Canada, the United States and Europe for the next three months, and may be expanded to include concerts in South Africa and South America.
The Spice Girls conquered the music world in the late 1990s, with catchy throw-away songs, teeny-bopper style, and the "girl power" slogan that made them a pop phenomenon to rival the Beatles.
The crowd for the high-energy show that lasted nearly two hours was dominated by teenage girls and women who were teenagers when the group was at its peak.
Stars honored with US arts award Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, Motown singer Diana Ross and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson have collected awards for contributions to US culture.
The trio were among five stars from the entertainment world to receive the annual Kennedy Centre honor.
Actor Steve Martin and pianist Leon Fleisher also received the award at a ceremony in Washington, attended by President Bush.
The stars were treated to special surprise performances in their tribute. Diana Ross blew kisses as singers Vanessa Williams, Jordin Sparks and Ciara performed the songs that made her famous.
Actor Steve Carell paid comic tribute to Steve Martin: "His act was that of an idiot savant, minus the savant. He's a national treasure in the loosest sense of the term."
Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola and Cameron Diaz took to the stage to honour Martin Scorsese, who won an Oscar earlier this year for The Departed.
"Marty made his dreams come true, and he has made dreams come true for all of us who came before his camera," Diaz said.
US band Hootie and the Blowfish paid tribute to Brian Wilson with a medley of some of the Beach Boys' best-known songs.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma paid homage to Leon Fleisher.
The honors, now in their 30th year, are awarded to recipients for their lifetime contribution to American culture through the performing arts - whether in dance, music, theatre, opera, film or television.
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