Geri Haliwell Cancels Aussie Shows

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has canceled appearances at two Australian concerts, and organizers say it's because she became upset when radio interviewers played her a tape of comments from one of her old bandmates. Halliwell's spokesman in London said she withdrew because of other commitments.

The singer, formerly known as Ginger Spice, was to have been one of the headline acts at the "Rumba'' concerts in Melbourne on Nov. 17 and in Sydney one week later. Another former Spice Girl - Emma Bunton, who went by Baby Spice - is scheduled to perform, along with Shaggy, Nelly Furtado and others.

"Geri was upset following the interview because (radio interviewers) Kyle and Jackie O played her a Posh Spice prerecorded question and then asked her about their alleged rivalry,'' organizers of the "Rumba'' concerts said Tuesday in a news release posted on their Web site. "She (Halliwell) has advised Rumba organizers through her management company that this is the reason she is not coming to Australia.''
The interviewers from Melbourne radio station FOX FM played Halliwell comments by Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice. Halliwell left the group in 1998. Her spokesman, Jonathan Hackford, said the radio interview had nothing to do with her decision to back out of the concerts.

"They're two completely separate things,'' he said. "She was upset by the surprise that was sprung onto her by the radio station, but the reason she's had to cancel is because her single 'Calling' was delayed. ... She's got commitments in the U.K., promotion for the single, which are her main priority, unfortunately.''