Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Melanie C brought her world tour to the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on September 23, 2026, with a set that held space for her newest album, Sweat, some much-loved solo songs, and a few visits to the Spice Girls catalog. There was plenty of dancing and singing along, plus seeing her in a mid-sized venue gave everyone there the chance to experience her voice and performance in a very personal way.

It was clear that many fans in the room had been following Melanie since her Spice Girls days in the 1990s. There’s a particular kind of affection at shows like this, where people have grown up with an artist and have decades of memories attached to the songs. And while the Spice Girls connection will always be part of the draw, Melanie gave fans plenty to enjoy with what she’s doing now and has been doing across her many solo albums, which is making very, very good pop songs.

Her latest album, Sweat, reaches back to her love of rave culture before the Spice Girls, which makes its dance music direction feel natural. She’s also spent years working as a DJ, so she knows her way around a club track and how to keep people moving. That side of her career carried over into the live show, with stretches of electronic dance music giving the Fonda a little bit of a club feeling.

Dressed in a few changes of sporty gear throughout the show, Melanie moved easily around the stage, dancing and bringing lots of energy without losing any vocals. She sounded great. There was humor and warmth when she talked to the crowd, and the longtime hardcore fans in the room loved it.

The acoustic portion midway through the set was great. “Northern Star” was fantastic, with the quieter arrangement giving her voice room to really shine, which it does. She’s a great vocalist. “Never Be the Same Again” became a beautiful sing-along, one of those moments where hearing the like-minded community of people around you is part of what makes the song so good live.

Another fun moment came when Melanie brought a fan onstage to sing with her, at this show it was @camillaberthier, which is something she’s been doing this tour. It’s a nice way to include the people who have kept showing up for her, and it was a fun highlight of the evening.

Towards the end of the show we heard two back to back Spice Girls tracks with “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Spice Up Your Life,” and then the show closed with “I Turn To You,” the biggest single from her first solo album.

Overall there was something for everyone: if you wandered in off the street you’d love the vibe and the voice, if you were a Melanie C solo fan over the course of her nine studio albums you’d be in heaven, and if you were a Spice Girls fan you’d get a bunch of nostalgic singalong songs from Sporty Spice. After the show I caught a video Melanie had made after a show a few weeks back where she talked about how moved she was by the crowd and how she felt the love and how special it was, and it’s clear that she really loves what she does and loves her fans. If you have the chance to see her live totally do it, it’s a great show that’s fun for everyone. The US portion of her world tour has ended, but you UK folks will get some shows starting in October. Check out www.melaniec.net for all the latest news.