Brian May and Roger Taylor, supported by Jessie J, perform “We Will Rock You!”. Madness carry “Our House” into the stadium. The Pet Shop Boys wear flashy hats to West End Girls. Ray Davies sings of “Waterloo Sunset” surrounded by an armada of dancers and gymnasts. And then there’s George Michael and the Spice Girls…
The closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, like the Olympic opening party organized by director Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”), was a pop culture celebratory event.
Twelve years later, when the XXXIII Games open in Paris on July 26, 2024, pop will have even more space in the athletes’ spectacle between hammer throw and synchronized swimming.
So far, electro-melancholic Woodkid has composed a kind of “modern oratorio” for the handover phase from Tokyo (where the 2020 games took place) to the French capital.
The corresponding “Course sur les toits de Paris” video is quite street-style (a woman in a bomber jacket jumps over walls on her bike), while the sound spirals into pompous, massive spheres with rattling beats.
In an interview with ROLLING STONE in Lausanne, Christophe Dubi, the organizational director of the Olympic Committee (IOC), explains that the concept for 2024 should go beyond the previous accompanying music for stadium sports.
“We want to showcase the best that Paris has to offer. Of course, this includes a special flair, and of course the fashion. We were able to win the opera and theater director Thomas Jolly for the ceremonies. The opening will take place along the Seine. Jolly is known for its opulent stage productions. His artistic approach, which is innovative and often a little crazy, aims to appeal to as many people as possible by moving the celebrations to the heart of the city.”
For the street competitions, the central Place de La Concorde will be completely closed and a zone will be set up for “urban sports”, including skateboarding (street and halfpipe), BMX freestyle and “3 on 3” basketball. The first installation of breakdance as an official Olympic discipline is particularly astounding.
The once underground and initially non-commercial “dance battles” originated in the mid-1970s at old-school hip-hop block parties in the Bronx. DJ and Spiritus Rector Africa Bambaataa (“Planet Rock”) wanted to stop rampant gang violence in New York at the time with rap and artistic street dance. A well-told saga.
Almost exactly 50 years later, breakdance at the Olympics. On the one hand, this speaks for the further development of the Olympic idea “citius, altius, fortius”.
The weekend around the “Olympic Day” (June 23) moved in this interplay – with fun runs, presentations and popular sports events all over the world. The accompanying “Let’s Move” campaign is intended to do something for public health. At the same time, the “Olympic Museum” above Lake Geneva is celebrating its 30th birthday. In Lausanne, too, the new alliance between pop music, skater halfpipe and yoga sessions is being formed with a big bang. For the museum’s anniversary, the in-house IOC cover band The Courbertines played in a relaxed manner and the staff and officials danced. The way to Paris 2024 is paved.
From now on, the scandal-plagued IOC must also be measured against the desired “cool atmosphere”. It remains to be seen whether this will be banged on in Paris (and elsewhere) by the ubiquitous sponsor partners. The call for a “sellout” of non-classical sports will quickly become loud.
The year leading up to Paris 2024 will show if a new spirit can truly emerge from this Olympic pop-sports alliance.