Sporting chance

Sporty was always my favourite.

 She's, well, you know, "sporty." Not only that, but among the original five Spice Girls, she could apparently sing.

 My opinion is not shaken after seeing her perform live and in person last night at West Edmonton Mall's HMV stage - even if it is one of the worst venues to see live music.

 Sporty is still the best one. In fact, her stripped-down acoustic show was so different from the spit and polish of the Spice Girls, it's like we were getting introduced to an entirely new artist. She doesn't call herself Sporty anymore, of course. It's just Melanie C now - but it might as well be Folky Spice or Lilith Fair Spice. Perhaps even Indigo Spice, but let's not go there.

 For a crowd estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000 fans (depending on whether you counted curious shoppers), the Spice Girl Voted Most Likely To Succeed delivered a half-hour set of acoustic songs from her solo debut album, Northern Star, followed by a question period for lucky Power 92 contest winners and an autograph session. There was no big production, no lip-syncing, no choreography, just a refreshingly down-to-earth set minus all the junky production heard on the CD. I liked it a lot more than the record.

How many Spice Girls do you really need?

 It's pretty clear that if the Spice Girls goes kerflooey, she'll still have a career.

 OK, so she's no Sarah McLachlan. Her vocals are pretty ordinary, all things considered: "Madonna No. 2," as one fan dubbed her, meaning it as a compliment. But she's got a sweet voice, and that perky British charm that made us fall in love with the Spice Girls to begin with, and is considered a hero to millions of teenage girls around the world. There's no going wrong. The record label people - who later presented Melanie with a double platinum award for the Spice Girls' latest album, Forever - described her as an "absolute delight" to work with, though I don't suppose they'd admit it if she behaved like Diana Ross.

 After a song and a half of soundcheck - which kind of killed the big opening - the Liverpudlian lass returned with Be the One, backed by an acoustic trio. She rocked out, relatively speaking, with Goin' Down - the voice getting a bit squeaky in places - and went into a Latin lilt on Closer.

 She pointed out that Edmonton "is pretty North in the world" to intro Northern Star, she mused on homelessness in If That Were Me and closed with the album's hit, Never Be the Same Again. She didn't even do Wannabe and no one seemed to mind. Time for question period.

 Who's her best friend in the Spice Girls?

 "... right now, it's Baby."

 What does it feel like to be an influence on young girls?

 "... it feels great. Gosh, I'm just a girl, too, and I've had my problems ..."

 Did you take singing lessons?

 "... practice makes perfect."

 Your strangest fan experience?

 "Playing in London ... this girl in the front row lifted up her top and she had no bra on ... more fun for the guys in my band than for me."

 OK, there you have it: A slice of life of a Spice Girl in the frozen north. She left us wanting more. But cheer up, kids - Mel C may be back for a full tour this spring. Can't wait.