The Spice Girls tour continues this week with big shows in Sunderland and Edinburgh ahead of three nights at Wembley Stadium later this month.
As revealed in the latest issue of Music Week, the group and their co-manager Simon Fuller are now mulling global plans.
The UK tour was headed up by SJM MD Simon Moran, with Live Nation and Solo co-promoting. Here, Moran opens up about the biggest pop comeback of recent years…
How much demand was there for the Spice Girls’ reunion?
“We basically sold almost 95% of the tickets in the first weekend. Obviously, the initial interest was absolutely huge. We were very optimistic but it exceeded my initial expectations. Demand for tickets has been massive. It’s a very high level of sales, obviously selling out three Manchester Etihad Stadiums and three Wembley stadiums in a weekend is very good going.”
How does this show compare to other big pop spectacles?
“It’s a tremendous production, it’s really great – it’s been a lot of effort and finance but it’s really creative. It’s paying homage to the legacy but it’s really of the moment as well. Technically and creatively, it’s cutting edge as well as having a degree of nostalgia.”
Does media coverage of the tour help sales?
“There’s hardly any left, you’re talking 1% of tickets left. I was at Cardiff and it was a very emotional night when I was walking around looking at people. It was certainly bringing back some great memories for the fans there.”
It was certainly bringing back some great memories for the fans
Simon Moran
How sure were you about the reunion succeeding without Victoria Beckham?
“It’s not an exact science but I was very confident. Albeit with a different four-piece of the group, we did sell out two Wembley Stadiums before with four members. I think people were just so eager for it.”
Are they reaching a multi-generational audience?
“Yeah, definitely, 100%, I’m sure the core would be women around 28-38, then there’s young kids, there’s mums there with their daughters, so yeah it crosses all boundaries.”
There were reports of sound problems in Dublin and Cardiff…
“I thought the sound in Cardiff was great. I’d read something, but in Cardiff I walked around a lot of places and they sounded good to me. I was there, I was very happy with how it sounded in Cardiff.”
What’s your assessment of stadium ticket sales this summer?
“Generally very good, this has done brilliantly, the Take That tour has done well, Muse have done great for us. As co-promoter with Live Nation, we’re involved in Billy Joel and The Eagles, which have done great at Wembley. Marshall Arts have had a great success with Pink, Bon Jovi has done well, and Hyde Park has done very well. There’s a lot of stuff out there and plenty of people are going to concerts again this summer.”
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