Spice Girls, Pro & Con

11/30/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Fans in Manchester, England, gave the Spice Girls a warm welcome this weekend as the group kicked off its first concert tour in more than a year. "We're back!" Mel G (Scary Spice) shouted to the crowd Saturday night after the four singers, each dressed in a different colored sequined outfit, emerged from beneath the stage in a cloud of smoke. Mel C (Sporty) began to cry as she said: "We've missed you." In related news, the Spices were voted Britain's worst group of 1999, according to a poll of pop fans conducted by Smash Hits magazine. (Two years ago, the all-girl band was voted Britain's best pop group.) Bearing the brunt of readers' scorn was Mel C, who was voted Worst Female Singer, Worst Single, Worst Video, Most Tragic Haircut and Worst Dressed Person.