The Paris Olympics 2024 closing ceremony saw Phoenix collaborate with Air, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, Kavinsky, Belgian singer Angèle, and Cambodian rapper VannDa. The French band performed a medley of songs at the Stade de France, accompanied by Olympic medallists who had competed since the opening ceremony on July 26. They opened with ‘Lisztomania’ before teaming up with Kavinsky and Angèle for ‘Nightcall’, which featured in the 2011 movie Drive starring Ryan Gosling. The performance also featured CSS singer Lovefoxxx, who sang on the original version. Following this, Cambodian rapper VannDa joined the band for ‘If I Ever Feel Better’, which segued into a snippet of ‘Funky Squaredance, Pt. 1/2/3’. Air’s appearance was next for a performance of ‘Playground Love’ with Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars taking up the vocals, which he sang under his Gordon Tracks moniker on the original track that featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Virgin Suicides released in 2000. Ezra Koening teamed up on vocals on the 2022 single ‘Tonight’ from the album Alpha Zulu. The performance wrapped up with ‘1901’, with Mars jumping into the crowd of competitors before being hoisted in the air.
The opening ceremony took place on July 26, featuring Lady Gaga performing the French cabaret song ‘Mon truc en plumes’ and Gojira performing the French Revolution song ‘Ah Ça Ira!’ Along with opera singer Marina Viotti. Celine Dion’s performance was another highlight, her first show in four years, taking on Edith Piaf’s ‘L’Hymne A L’Amour’ in her first show since it had been announced that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS).
The Twitter community was filled with reactions from fans around the globe, in support of the bands’ electrifying performance. Fans were delighted to see the band back together in full force and it seemed as though this performance brought back the “indie sleaze” from their previous music. Meanwhile, fans spoke of the emotion from Air’s appearance, as they performed ‘Playground Love.’ Many fans also spoke of their appreciation for Ezra Koening’s performance, praising his vocals on ‘Tonight’.
The closing ceremony truly was an exciting event, where music and sports came together to make history. These contributions remind us of the relationship between culture and sports. It will surely go down in history as a memorable part of the Paris Olympics 2024, celebrating the closing of the competition with excellent musicians
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