London 2012 – Olympics Closing Ceremony (Review)

Review of the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

If I am completely honest this is less of a review and more of a summary and collection of thoughts in relation to last night’s closing ceremony.

London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

At the start of the event, I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the closing ceremony, I struggled to remember any previous events.  After the Danny Boyle inspired opening ceremony, I was however expecting big things.  Boyle created such an amazing show that inspired all your senses and was a fun and engaging trip through British history.

So what of the closing ceremony.  If I am honest, in comparison to the opening ceremony it never really reached the same heights, although I am not sure if it was meant to.  The overall shape of it as a musical event was pretty big though.  Appearances or recreations of big musical moments from the likes of Queen, The Who, George Michael, John Lennon, Spice Girls etc.  Some strange over-reliance on the likes of Emeli Sande and Jessie J though and even more bizarrely an appearance from Taio Cruz.  Nothing against Taio, it just isn’t a name I expected at such a global event.

There were some memorable performances in the show.  The rendition of Blur‘s ‘Parklife’ was brilliant.  The appearance of Freddie Mercury by some form of visual graphic or hologram was special.  George Michael‘s ‘Freedom’ was good, even if the inclusion of the second track was a little misguided for this event.

Freddie Mercury at London 2012 Closing Ceremony

The quality was a little indifferent with some below par and some very nervous performances making the line-up.  Emeli Sande was brilliant in the opening ceremony, but it all seemed a bit big for her during the closing ceremony.

Jessie J was flaunting herself around in a very tight number on too many performances, at one point it seemed like the Jessie J show.  The most bizarre was taking the Freddie Mercury vocal in ‘We Will Rock You’.  Not a good move at all, couldn’t we have got Freddie‘s hologram to do it.  After all, a number of the acts were guilty of average miming, so this would have been OK.

There were some amazing highlights in the show.  I think Roger Daltry was great at the end and although this may be a controversial comment.  I think he was better than Paul McCartney in rolling back the years.  The Brasillian samba party started really well but got a little odd the longer it went on.  Tinie Tempah did really well.

There were some notable absences from a lesson of British Music.  No Elton John for instance. Nothing for the Heavy Metal fans, perhaps Def Leppard.  Should there have been a live showing from somebody like Pet Shop Boys or Duran Duran.  Also there wasn’t really much in the concert section outside of Jessie J for contemporary pop.  Maybe an appearance from JLS or Leona Lewis should have taken place.

The two acts that stole the show from my perspective had to be Take That and the Spice Girls.

Gary Barlow took to the stage to join his pals (minus Robbie Williams) to perform ‘Rule The World’.  This must have been a huge act of bravery after the heartbreaking events that surrounded the still birth of his baby.  Gary showed exactly why he has been taken to the nation’s hearts.  Even if we separate the emotional aspect of the background story, it was still an incredible performance and would have been a fitting end to the show.

Take That perform at London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

The return of The Spice Girls though, seemed somewhat fitting.  Yes they hardly embody girl power any more.  Most of them married with their own kids.  Clothing ranges, side projects etc.  But it was great to have them back and their performance was good and really underpinned the party feel that the event was trying to create.  The buzz on all of the Social Media channels was off the scale for their performance.

Spice Girls performance a highlight at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

Both Take That and The Spice Girls demonstrated that they really loved being there and gave the world a true glimpse in to how good British music is.  Yes they aren’t as contemporary as some could have hoped but they are still displayed enigmatic performances that have a special edge.

Overall it was a good show and helped to show off just how Great Britain is to the rest of the world.  As the dust settles the good feeling the London 2012 Olympics created may be somewhat forgotten. But for the past couple of weeks, it felt like Britain was united and we rediscovered what Great Britain was all about.  I hope this good feeling continues for a long time.