LONDON — Britain bid a lyrical
farewell to the Olympics on Sunday in a manner reflective of the way the host
country embraced these Games for the past two weeks: With a bit of
self-deprecation, an exhibition of national pride and a genuine desire to show
the world a good time.
With
performances from The Who, Muse, George Michael, One Direction and a reunited
Spice Girls, London aimed to celebrate the idea that music has been one of
Britain's greatest exports during the past century. Even deceased legends such
as John Lennon and Freddie Mercury led singalongs via massive video screens.
The British
government earmarked an extra $64.3 million to double budget for the opening
and closing ceremonies in the weeks leading up the Games, a move officials
justified by saying the events would give the United Kingdom "a
once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to promote itself.
At the very
least, they'll boost iTunes sales.
The Spice Girls
drew the evening's biggest response — particularly from camera phone-wielding
members of Team USA — performing their hit "Spice Up Your Life" as
they rolled around Olympic Park atop London cabs. The Who ended the night with
a medley of hits, including "Baba O'Riley," "See Me, Feel
Me" and "My Generation."
Opening
ceremonies often are likened to weddings because of their long-held traditions,
solemn oaths and promised possibilities. If that's the case, London's closing
ceremony was the raucous reception in which everyone was encouraged to cut
loose and each generation got a chance to play DJ.
One Direction,
the Pet Shop Boys and Kinks frontman Ray Davies opened the show with songs
meant to celebrate daily life in London. Fatboy Slim, Annie Lennox and Jessie
J. all performed on a Union Jack-shaped stage surrounded by athletes.
In a nod to
British humor, Monty Python's Eric Idle had the stadium whistling to a
performance of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" that featured
roller-skating nuns and a man being shot from a cannon. And comedian Russell
Brand was given the honor of covering the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus"
— though it was unclear whether it was meant to be a joke or a serious homage.
Yet for all the
much-anticipated musical acts, it was the ceremony's use of classic lines from
British literature that spoke to the heart of these Games. Quotes from the likes
of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Keats appeared in various ways throughout the show,
perfectly capturing an emotional fortnight in which Jamaican sprinter Usain
Bolt seemed immortal, South African runner Oscar Pistorius redefined the word
disability and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history.
"When a man
is tired of London, he is tired of life," read one prominently featured
line from Samuel Johnson. "For there is in London all that life can
afford."
London 2012
chief Sebastian Coe echoed this sentiment when he thanked the city for hosting
the Olympics for the third time in its history. Paying tribute to the people
who built the stadiums, the soldiers who provided security and the volunteers
who made nearly everything else possible, Coe said Britain has demonstrated the
power of tenacity and ambition.
"Our
opening ceremonies proclaimed that these would be a Games for everyone,"
Coe said. "At our closing ceremonies we can say that these were a Games by
everyone."
Per tradition,
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge called upon the youth
of the world to assemble four years from now in Rio de Janeiro, where a South
American country will host the Games for the first time.
It was a call
Brazil answered during the closing ceremony with an eight-minute samba show
that included singer Marisa Monte, supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio and a
surprise appearance by soccer legend Pele.
Rio organizers
didn't try to upstage London during the closing ceremony. And they'll be
hard-pressed to top this fortnight in four years.
Even Coe seemed
to acknowledge as much.
"We lit the
flame," he said. "And we lit up the world."
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