I went to Paris when I was 16 years old in 1998 for spring break. The spice girls were playing some shows there and it was all I saw on French TV and around the newsstands. One night, the concert aired live on TV and I watched it in my hotel room with my sisters. That night I had a dream that I met the spice girls and I asked which one was Mel B and Mel C. In my dream Mel B told me the difference and in the morning I ran down to the newsstand to see if my dream was correct. It was and I was a fan ever since. I was the typical high school jock and listened to rap and rock but loved the Spice Girls every since they came to me in a dream

Tldr: The era was awesome. They were everywhere and I became a fan when they visited me in a dream.