Shortly after the release of their second album, "SpiceWorld", the Spice Girls embarked on a World tour that saw them perform almost 100 dates across Europe and North America.
As they reached the peak of their fame, the Girls were contacted by the legendary Pavarotti, who every year used to organise a charity concert called "Pavarotti & Friends": a huge music festival that featured performances by the greatest music acts in the World and gave the chance to the operatic tenor to cross over into popular music as well as help a hugely important cause.In 1998, his War Child charity aimed to help the orphans of the civil war-ravaged African nation of Liberia.
When Pavarotti approached the Spice Girls, they were a group of five girls touring the World. By the time the concert took place on Tuesday, the 9th of June, 1998, the Spice Girls consisted of just four girls. Geri Halliwell
(Ginger Spice) had abruptly left the group ten days before.
This didn't stop the Spice Girls, who soldiered on for two years, toured North America, released three more #1 singles and a #2 album without Ginger.
The Pavarotti gig was going ahead, with or without Geri.
Rehearsals took place the very same day as the show, which was being held in Pavarotti's home town of Modena, Italy.
The Spice Girls performed their forthcoming single, "Viva Forever"
, which went on to spend two weeks at #1 in the UK and also became their biggest hit to date in Italy. It is generally regarded as their best offering ever, and it is the ultimate fan favourite. This special version, a duet with Pavarotti, sounds different from the original, but it's just as beautiful and powerful. They also performed their previous single, "Stop"
, and the crowd couldn't have been more excited.Pavarotti himself only had great things to say about the Girls:
"I chose them because they're good, they're excellent. They sang to me a super song, "Viva Forever"
, and my interpolation in this song is the best it could ever be". Watch the video here. The press were all over the Girls and constantly asked about Geri, but they kept it classy and concentrated on the event and the charity. And they were too busy star-spotting to think about Ginger anyway. Emma Bunton
(Baby Spice) has often described being on stage with Stevie Wonder as one of the biggest highlights of her life.
The Girls happily posed for photographs with the likes of Celine Dion
and The Corrs, who had also been invited to perform at the event.
The concert was aired live on Italian TV, it was watched by more than 8,5 million viewers and received Worldwide coverage. A CD and a DVD were released (click on the image for details):
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