One of three special North American performances, this show seemed like a costume party for Spice Girls-obsessed fans, ranging from eight to fifty years old in both genders. I spoke with two eight year old boys who had shed their shirts and covered their prepubescent chests with messages like “I wanna be your lover, Mel” and “Girl Power Forever.” These boys must get hell from their classmates, but thats OK. They’re young. The thing that really bothered me was the noticeable amount of middle-aged men in the audience. It’s not because they came to see Mel play: there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s because they arrived at the venue twelve hours before showtime, and that’s just spooky.

After much anticipation, Mel finally showed her newly punk rockin’ face to the masses as she kicked into “Something’s Gonna Happen,” which, along with the next track, “Independence Day,” didn’t come off as particularly innovative. Much to my surprise, these feelings of disappointment didn’t last for long. “Northern Star,” the title track of her new disc, was truly a delight. “Be The One” and “Gaga” were also steps in the right direction, with the latter featuring instrumentations similar to those of Blur. The spacy progressions of “Feel The Sun” gave the audience a chance to catch their breath, while “Goin’ Down,” the album’s first single, was like a group of monkey taking turns beating both sides of my skull. I almost lost it when Mel launched into a solo rendition of “Wannabe,” which, for all you cave people, was the song that brought the Spice Girls to stardom.

After a short break and a brief, off-stage cameo by Scary Spice, Mel returned to play “Closer” and an acoustic version of “Goin’ Down,” which had been played in its full electric glory no less than twenty minutes before the encore break.

While her live set doesn’t do justice to her new recorded material, Melanie C is a clearly talented girl and deserves all the recognition that she will inevitably receive.