Spice Girls kick off world tour in Canada

Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls performs as the group kicks off their reunion tour in Vancouver, British Columbia December 2, 2007. [Agencies]

The Vancouver crowd was dominated by teenage girls and women who were teenagers when the group was at its peak.

"I'm just so excited," said Kathleen Kearns, 16, who was drawn to the group at age 8 "because they seemed to be good role models for young girls and you could feel good about liking them."

To appease friends unable to get concert tickets, Kearns used her cell phone to let them hear their favorite songs.

The band comprised of Beckham, Chisholm, Geri "Ginger" Halliwell, Melanie "Scary" Brown and Emma "Baby" Bunton, came together in 1993 after an advertisement for a girl band was posted.

Their debut single "Wannabe" was a global hit in 1996.

But their success was short-lived, with Halliwell walking out on the group in 1998. The remaining members went their separate ways after releasing the album "Forever" in 2000.

All now in their 30s with a combined seven children, the singers embarked on solo careers with varying degrees of success.

Vancouver's concert marked the first time the original group had been on the same stage in nearly a decade, according to their promoters.