S Club - Good Times Tour
Date: February 18, 2024
Location: Roadrunner, Boston, MA
After more than 20 years, S Club finally embarked on their first North American tour. I was absolutely ecstatic when S Club announced their tour dates included a Boston show. I grew up on S Club - watching their TV shows, music videos, and listening to their music. I even had a Jon and Jo doll! And I still have them!
Pop History of S Club
This famous UK pop group originally consisted of members Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Bradley McIntosh, Paul Cattermole and Hannah Spearritt. They were formerly known as S Club 7. Founded by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, S Club 7 exploded onto the pop music scene in 1999.
During the late 90s/early 2000s, S Club achieved multiple top 10 singles including “S Club Party”, “Natural”, “Two In A Million” and “Alive” on the UK charts. Their songs “Bring It All Back”, “Don’t Stop Movin’” and “Have You Ever” notably reached number one. Their major 2001 song “Never Had A Dream” managed to hit the US top 10 charts. They even performed on MTV’s TRL. S Club was the big British group (aside from BBMAK) to burst into the US way before One Direction.
In addition to selling more than 10 million albums worldwide, the group had successful tv shows on ABC family (now Freeform): Miami 7, LA 7, Hollywood 7 and S Club Go Wild.
Moreover, S Club earned Brit Awards for “British Breakthrough Act” and “British Single of the Year” for “Don’t Stop Movin’”.
In 2002, the group then renamed themselves S Club when Paul left the group. The group then disbanded in 2003.
In 2014, all seven members reunited to perform on the BBC Children in Need telethon. A year later, S Club 7 launched a reunion tour in the UK entitled the “Bring It All Back” tour.
In 2023, S Club 7 announced their 25th Anniversary tour. Not only were they going to tour UK, they also stated that they plan to tour the United States and Canada!
Unfortunately, Paul tragically died in April 2023 due to heart issues. S Club decided to still continue the tour to celebrate Paul. Hannah, however, decided to quit the group and not join the tour. S Club renamed the tour “The Good Times” tour in Paul’s honor.
Tour Reschedule
Originally, the tour was scheduled for September 2023. However, due to an admin issue, the tour was postponed to this February. I am actually thankful for the schedule change because their Boston show fell on the Sunday of the Presidents’ day weekend. Meaning I had the Monday off to recover.
The Venue
The sold out show took place at the Roadrunner venue in Allston, approximately 20 minutes outside downtown Boston. Roadrunner was especially feasible for me to get to since the venue is a 30 minute bus ride from my apartment.
Roadrunner has two levels with a bar on each level. The format was standing room only so we were on our feet the whole night. My feet were tired by the end of the night.
By the time the show started, the venue was definitely packed with S Club fans. The coat check line at the end of the night was significantly long!
VIP with S Club
VIP Meet and Greet started about two hours prior to the concert. We Fans did have to wait quite a while in the cold February Boston weather outside Roadrunner before we were allowed inside.
Once we were inside, each fan was able to meet and take a picture with S Club.
I have to say S Club were so nice and gracious to the fans. When I walked in and greeted the group, Bradley opened his arms for a hug. I hugged and embraced all five of them (not all at once!). Jon and Tina were so sweet. I told Jo and Jon I still have their dolls. Rachel was as beautiful in person as she is on TV. Jon told me that his Aunt and I share the same name. I was extremely happy to finally meet them.
Having VIP also gave me early access to the stage area. Luckily, I was able to secure my front row spot.
Note: I still have NOT gotten my VIP photo from S Club from the concert!!!
The Show
The concert almost started an hour later than the 8 pm scheduled time. Despite the late start, S Club delivered an action-packed show with non-stop performances. S Club just kept the show going. The choreography was energetic and smooth. The group also looked fabulous in their shiny black outfits.
Against a simple backdrop with neon lights, S Club kicked off and closed the concert appropriately with “S Club Party”.
The setlist also consisted of their famous hits and singles including “You”, “Bring Da House Down”, “Love Ain’t Gonna Wait For You”, and “Alive”.
I really enjoyed their performance of my favorite S Club song, “You’re My Number One”. The performance just energized the crowd with its upbeat tune. The messaging of the song is also extremely positive.
While S Club sang to backtracks, their vocals still sounded amazing.
S Club continued to boost the crowd’s momentum with “Bring It All Back” and “Reach”. Jon’s vocals definitely stood out during“Reach”. His vocals also provided a beautiful substitute during Paul’s solo in the song. Jon also sang his heart off in “Sunshine”. I could tell he was just so happy to be on stage with his bandmates. I’m glad Jon can be his authentic self especially when he replaces “girl” with “boy” on the “where would I be” line on “Sunshine” with his high falsetto voice.
Moreover, Tina demonstrated her incredible dance skills and rhythm during “Stronger”. The woman can still move after over 20 years. Rachel truly shines during the performance of “Natural”. Her deep raspy vocals combined with the luscious dance moves made the song incredibly intriguing. She definitely knows how to sway her body. Bradley clearly proved himself to be a true showman and can command the stage as the lead MC. During the show, he elevates and riles up the crowd during his lead vocals on “Friday Night” and “Don’t Stop Movin”.
My favorite performances though were definitely the ballads, “Two In A Million '', “Have You Ever”, and “Never Had A Dream Come True”. Those songs definitely brought me back to the late 90s and early 2000s. These are the songs I have and still have on repeat on my spotify playlist. Also, watching Jo belt those high notes is breathtaking. Her voice is still incredibly strong. She sang with so much passion and emotion especially on “Have You Ever”. Jo’s vocals totally moved me. The tearful lyrics pulled my heartstrings.
S Club also dedicated a portion of the show to Paul with the song, “Good Times”. The “Good Times” performance was a clear celebration of Paul and his life. The S clubbers wanted to promote happier feelings rather than being sad about Paul’s passing.
The long friendship and bonding amongst the members of S Club was definitely obvious onstage. They were always hugging each other in between songs. S Club treated each member like brothers and sisters. They clearly valued each other’s talents and presence. This bonding accentuated the performance chemistry.
Overall, I enjoyed every moment of the concert. I appreciated the fact that each S clubber sang at least one solo, not just Jo. The show was a lot of fun and brought back so much nostalgia.
S Club said Boston was the loudest crowd on the tour so far, granted we were the second city on tour after Toronto.
I wished the show did last longer. I wanted S Club to sing more songs like “I Really Miss You”, “Hello Friend” , “Rain”, and their new song, “These Are The Days”.
I hope S Club comes back to the states and goes on a longer US tour. And I hope you get a chance to see S Club next time they are in a town near you.
