Reunion and comeback tours are all over the place right now. Mariah Carey, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, even Westlife have announced a new stadium tour. But are the oldies really goldies?
24 years after its initial release, Mariah Carey is taking ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ around Europe on an 11 date tour, hoping to prove once and for all that old equals gold.
Fair enough, we all love a healthy dose of nostalgia every now and then, but do we really need all of these artists doing tours when they haven’t released new music in years?
Don’t get me wrong, I love a throwback playlist just as much as the next person. I’m famed among my friends for the level of cheese on my Spotify, but that’s exactly the problem.
The original songs are so good, so classic, that seeing them performed live 20 years later risks ruining the entire thing.
What if ‘I Want It That Way’ isn’t as good when it’s sung by 40-year-olds? Will I ever be able to hear it the same way again?
What if my childhood is ruined by a pitchy rendition of Wannabe?
It feels like even more of a risk when the full line up isn’t there.
Let’s be honest now. Spice Girls aren’t the same without Victoria, Take That aren’t the same without Robbie, and 90’s artists aren’t the same when every performance feels like a nostalgic money grab.
(The exception to this rule is, of course, Mariah Carey. I’ll accept a Christmas tour, even if it is to line her pockets. No dissing of Mariah is allowed during the Christmas season.)
Also, I’m not sure I can handle seeing Nick Carter as an almost-40-year-old. I will always see him as the teenage heartthrob that broke my heart when I was four.
For a lot of these artists, the spark they had during their original fame just isn’t there anymore. Spice Girls aren’t the only girl power band any more, and people care more about Liam Payne than AJ McLean.
Isn’t it fair that they step aside and leave the spotlight for new artists, artists who are bringing something fresh to the music industry instead of rehashing the only song of theirs people still know the words to?
When all anyone can talk about is the Spice Girls reunion tour, the chances of new artists getting publicity, getting signed and being able to book the best venues gets smaller and smaller.
As much as I love getting to belt along to ‘Baby One More Time’ every time it comes on, I’d rather see industry funding go towards people who haven’t had their moment of fame yet, instead of constantly seeing old artists desperately trying to cling on to their glory days.
Despite all the reasons why I don’t like them, there’s one thing I know for sure.
I would spend every penny I had for tickets to a Jonas Brothers reunion tour.
By Katie Ansell