Spice Girls kick off world tour in Canada

"Girl Power" returned on Sunday as Britain's Spice Girls kicked off their long awaited world reunion tour with a more sophisticated look than when they first stormed the pop world in the late 1990s.

The quintet -- known by their nicknames Posh, Baby, Sporty Ginger and Scary -- opened their show before a sold-out audience of 20,000 people in Vancouver with three of their mega-hits, including "Spice Up Your Life"

"How ya' doing?" Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm asked the raucous crowd in the opening set that also included a video of the group's history.

The celebrities in the audience included soccer star David Beckham, husband of Victoria "Posh" Beckham, and singer Avril Lavigne.

The Vancouver show launches a tour that will wind its way though Canada, the United States and Europe for the next three months, and may be expanded to include concerts in South Africa and South America.

The Spice Girls conquered the music world in the late 1990s, with catchy throw-away songs, teeny-bopper style, and the "girl power" slogan that made them a pop phenomenon to rival the Beatles.