Thanks for the Memories

A look at the music from the Closing Ceremonies at the 2024 Summer Games

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The Olympics have come to a close and we are left with some great moments.  We saw individuals and teams excelling at levels that we can only dream about.  We cheered and screamed at our television sets and always had something to talk about even with total strangers. Comradery was at an all-time high, and the world seemed to meld together as one despite being in the throes of competition. We saw some fantastic finishes by athletes that are now and forever known by just one name.  The likes of Simone, Noah, Steph, Katie and Sha’Carri captured our hearts, but there was one more person that we couldn’t stop talking about throughout the games, and that’s Snoop. And that leads me into the music of the games, specifically the Closing Ceremonies. 

The Closing Ceremonies, however, were pretty boring for a while and had me flipping over to different channels now and again.  That is, until the music started.  I’m not much for speeches, which was heavy content for more than I’d care to sit through. I get it.  There are people to thank and it’s important to recognize the city and especially the countless volunteers but bring me the meat. In this case, the meat was the music. 

We got ripped back to the aughts with French indie-pop band Phoenix at the helm.  Fun fact, I didn’t even realize that they were French until that very moment. The band was joined on stage at the Stade de France by fellow musicians Angèle, Ezra Koenig, Air, Kavinsky and VannDa.  

I didn’t know much about VannDa and immediately started researching this artist as soon as they started performing.  VannDa is a rapper from Cambodia, which used to be a French colony before gaining its independence. Super cool that he was invited to participate in such a monumental moment. 

Meanwhile, Angèle comes to us via France’s neighbor Belgium and is a popular artist in France. She told interviewers later, “I don’t have the words to thank Phoenix for inviting me to perform with them and Kavinsky (DJ) at the closing ceremony,” Angèle said after the performance. “I never thought I’d have such an incredible experience one day – and surrounded by the greatest sportsmen and women from all over the world.” 

Phoenix was later joined in their performance by American artist and Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig. The pop group collaborated with the Vampire Weekend frontman on their recent album Alpha Zulu, in which he sings on their song “Tonight.” 

“Usually, backstage areas can be sad places,” Phoenix’s Laurent Brancowitz, who plays guitar and keyboards, tells Billboard. “All you usually see is a security guard waiting for his shift to end and a guy handing out bottles of water. But this time it was beautiful. Looking out and seeing the light, the haze and people in costumes. We could see dancers jump just above our heads. It was an ant colony full of people who were really happy.” 

Those people became elated when the band started to play. The group did not even get notice that they would be the featured act of the finale until roughly two weeks prior. Phoenix immediately reached out to their musician friends to surround them for this epic occasion. Despite the lack of rehearsal time and the impromptu rushing of the stage by like 800 athletes during the showcase, the production was flawless and emotionally life giving. 

H.E.R. (Having Everything Revealed) then stunned with a singing of the American National Anthem.  Said to be one of the toughest songs to sing (see my article), the vocalist/guitar goddess absolutely distinguished herself as one of the greatest to do it. If you remember the Super Bowl in 2021, she sang a rendition of “America the Beautiful”, which still echos in my mind.  This might be controversial, and maybe it’s the power of the emotion from competition, but I put this performance in my Top 3 for “National Anthem Bangers” (maybe a new article), just below Whitney Houston who will always be my number one. Not sure who I would put at the third spot, but it is not Fergie. 

The next part of the ceremonies takes us to the Los Angeles Handoff.  The flag was transferred from Paris to LA via Tom Cruise and some Hollywood created content, backed by some phenomenal guitar riffs from H.E.R.  

As the Mission Impossible themed montage graced our screens and the flag was handed off to several athletes, we could hear the Red Hot Chili Peppers “By The Way” fade in as the backing soundtrack.  When we arrived in LA, there was RHCP, in Long Beach rockin’ “Can’t Stop”. Our first vision is Flea, dancing and thumping his bass with no shirt on and a yellow sarong. There is no more emblematic band than Red Hot Chili Peppers to represent the sound of LA. With the Pacific Ocean at his back, frontman Anthony Kiedis, pulled his white mesh shirt over his head for a few versus and I was wanting the 2028 Games to start right then.  I saw RHCP’s in 1994ish and this performance was just as good if not better than when the band formed all those years ago. 

Then pan right and there stood Billie Eilish at the lifeguard tower with her brother Finneas performing “Birds of a Feather” from her latest album Hit Me Hard and Soft. Dressed in an official Team USA Polo, Billie memorized the onlookers and viewers as her soft and tender voice brushed through the melody.  She is an absolute treasure and is on my concert bucket list for sure.  Eilish, was a perfect pick to perform as she sings ethereally and, she hails from Highland Park, a neighborhood on the city’s Eastside. Eilish most recently released her third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” in May and she more recently had a rare duet with Charli XCX on the remix for “Guess,” marking her first collaboration in six years.  Her hands are already full of Grammy’s and a couple of Oscar’s, we should just add a gold medal to her collection. 

A hand off to Long Beach and Los Angeles wouldn’t be complete without adding one of the focal points of the Paris Olympics, Snoop Dogg.  I don’t even know how he got to LA so quick, as I swear I had just seen him on camera in France moments before.  However, it was like he just appeared out of a puff of smoke, and there he was, in Olympic ringed track suit pants and satin jacket.  Snoop Dog had been tickling our fancy for the last two weeks.  He commentated on badminton and dressage among other events and everywhere the camera went he seemed to follow.  There is even an unofficial Olympic collector’s pin that features the Long Beach rapper blowing five colorful rings of smoke.  It should be the official pin of the games.   

He performed “Drop It Like It’s Hot” with his feet in the sand and a scantily clad dancer at his side. He was then joined on the stage once holding the Red Hot Chili Peppers, by Dr. Dre for a beachside performance of “The Next Episode.” Snoop’s performance at the closing ceremony brought his Olympic participation full circle. He also took part in the opening ceremony on July 26, and at one point carried the Olympic torch ahead of the event. 

“This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA,” LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman said in a statement. “We are thrilled to feature the very best of LA with local artists and are grateful to Billie, H.E.R., the Chili Peppers, and Snoop for their collaboration on what will be an incredible show to a global audience that will give fans a taste of what’s to come in 2028.”   Casey was right.  It was incredible and certainly set the tone for the future games in America.   

The music for the evening was not finished though, as we flipped back across the pond and found a brilliant performance by Yseult (pronounced “EE-sult”).  I had no idea about this stupefying singer until now, and she will be on my watchlist and playlist forever.  She enchanted us with a classic, “My Way”. We tend to know this song as it was popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra.  The tune is set to the music of the French song “Comme d’habitude” composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and it was debuted 1967 by Claude François. Although already popular in France, I image this performance will launch an international career that I hope brings her to the States. 

Once again, music has become the framework for my memories and hopefully yours too.  The Olympic Games are always something to cherish and unfortunately, we must wait another four years before sharing in the glory of the summer games.  Although next time it is in Los Angeles, and I am considering going.   Maybe I’ll see you there.