Montreal Concert: THE SPICE WASN'T QUITE RIGHT, BUT MELANIE CHISHOLM
                  WAS THE SAVING GRACE

It was a show which started 50 minutes later than scheduled, where half
the people in the audience couldn't see the stage because of rude fans
standing on chairs and where the singing was, ahem, amusingly flawed at
the start.

Yet if you had taken your eyes off Posh Spice's stunning new dress or
managed to shut out the deafening bellowing of Scary, you should have
been able to focus on the Spice who made the concert worth attending. For
yesterday night, Melanie Jayne Chisholm WAS the Spice Girls.

While the other Girls faltered, Melanie's powerful, crystal-clear voice
rose above the excited shrieks of pree-teen girls and the beat of the
drums echoed by the speakers. Every time Melanie opened her mouth, we were
all in awe - not only of her talent, but also her showwomanship.

Melanie gave each song 110% of her enthusiasm and effort. Her dancing was
something to marvel at, as well. While the others often simply swayed to
the beat of Do It and Spice Up Your Life, Melanie seemed to resemble a
contortionist with triceps of steel. She bent, twirled, twisted and kicked
out, and even looked like she was having convulsions during some songs.
Melanie's dancing, IMHO, was worth the entire price of the ticket.

There were some songs which sounded bland and couldn't get the audience
going, but Melanie did her part to spice them up. All you had to do was
look at the giant screen in the background to see Melanie's face act out
the lyrics of every song. This even caught the cameraman's attention,
because he zoomed in on Melanie's delicate yet determined face during
Naked and let the camera stay there for most of the song. I can tell you
one thing: I have seen a lot of movies and plays during my 16 years on
this planet, but I'd be hard pressed to find an actress who can work her
face muscles as well as Melanie Chisholm!

The highlight of the show was at the end of Viva Forever, when the 2
Melanies were left alone to sing the harmony part. The audience didn't let
out a single sound - you could hear a pin drop! The effect was magical -
Melanie's voice filled the whole room and left us all in a trance.

After the show, the fans in my section decided that Melanie deserved the
"performer of the night" award. The moment she walked onto the stage, she
made an instant connection with this Canadian crowd. A wink here, a flick
of the hand there, and she had the whole audience in the palm of her hand.