UPDATE: NBC will live stream the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Details below.
In just a couple of days, the London 2012 Summer Olympics will come to a close. (Sigh.) The games have been great, and I’d like to acknowledge all of the athletes who participated and congratulate all of the medal winners and history makers.
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The Closing Ceremony, titled “A Symphony of British Music,” will start at 9PM local time on Sunday, August 12 . Once again, we in the U.S. will not be able to watch it live, because NBC is not live streaming it, as it had with the sporting events, but beginning its tape-delayed television coverage at 7PM Eastern. So, the show in London will be over by the time we can start watching it here. (Harumph.) I just hope NBC doesn’t cut out portions the way it did with the Opening Ceremony. See the updates below for more information.
Moving on.
With British music as the theme, we can expect to see a bevy of British artists on stage. Those that have confirmed they will be performing at the Closing Ceremony include Ed Sheeran (who will perform “Wish You Were Here” with Nick Mason of Pink Floyd), George Michael, Muse, Take That (iffy now), and The Who.
Artists who are unconfirmed, but who have been spotted at the rehearsal venue in Dagenham, east London, include Annie Lennox, Brian May of Queen, Jessie J, Kate Bush (Kate Bush!), One Direction, the Pet Shop Boys, the Spice Girls, Tinie Tempah, and… Eric Idle? (Unless he sings “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life Of Brian.)
(Just as an aside, I know it would be cool for the Spice Girls to reunite and do “Wannabe” as rumored, but Kate Bush hasn’t performed live since 1979, and I would l-o-v-e for her to do “Running Up That Hill.”)
Those still rumored to be performing include Adele, Elbow, Elton John, Fatboy Slim, Jamiroquai, Kaiser Chiefs, Liam Gallagher with his band Beady Eye, Madness, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Ray Davies of the Kinks, and the Rolling Stones.
And those who have denied that they will be performing include David Gilmour and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Noel Gallagher, and the Sex Pistols.
Contrary to what some have been saying, Blur, New Order, and the Specials will be not be performing at the Closing Ceremony, but at a concert at Hyde Park.
As I get additional confirmations about who’s performing and who’s not at the Closing Ceremony, I’ll post updates, so stay tuned!
Updates: According to Reuters, Kate Bush might perform via video, even though she’s been seen at rehearsals… One Direction has confirmed their performance… Fatboy Slim, Kaiser Chiefs, and Madness have also been spotted at rehearsals. Photos of artists at rehearsals on The Sun‘s website.
Live streaming of Closing Ceremony: NBC announced today (August 11) that it has changed its plans and will live stream the Olympics Closing Ceremony on Sunday. Apparently, the impact on its television ratings wasn’t significant enough to warrant critics blasting the network a second time, as had happened after NBC’s tape-delayed, broadcast-only coverage of the Opening Ceremony.
To watch the free live stream of the Closing Ceremony, you must have a cable, satellite, or telco TV subscription with both CNBC and MSNBC in your package, and have your provider confirm this, before you can access it on the Live Extra page of the NBC Olympics website. The Closing Ceremony kicks off at 9PM London time, or 4PM Eastern. If you don’t have a subscription, television coverage begins at 7PM Eastern.
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