When you think about the Olympics, you definitely think about the competitions and the sports; and sometimes, you think about the insanely iconic musical performances that happen at the beginning and end of the Olympics.
The opening ceremonies are very special to the Olympics because it has an artistic program that shows off talent from the host country (like with Australians Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham performing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics). Meanwhile, the closing ceremony is the big celebration at the end of the Olympics, with an array of artists.
For this year’s 2024 Paris Games, many celebrities, French ones and beyond, made for quite an opening show. Among them was Lady Gaga in a gorgeous French-only performance, Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura and Céline Dion, who returned to the Olympic stage after her first Olympics performance in 1996, per Vulture. French electronic duo Daft Punk reportedly turned down an offer to perform and David Guetta was overlooked, according to France24.
In honor of this year’s show, let’s take a look back on memory lane with all the famous musicians who performed at the Olympics.
See which famous musicians performed at the Olympics, below:
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
The L.A. crowd was in for quite a treat at the closing ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics as Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre showed up for the show. Dogg performed “Drop It Like It’s Hot” before being joined by Dr. Dre to perform “The Next Episode.”
FINNEAS & Billie Eilish
Prior to that, Billie Eilish delivered her signature dreamy vocals at the closing ceremony alongside her brother and producer FINNEAS. Eilish sang her ballad “Birds of a Feather.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flea, Chad Smith, Anthony Kiedis, and John Frusciante from Red Hot Chili Peppers got the crowd jumping in Los Angeles as they performed their classic song “Can’t Stop.”
Phoenix & Ezra Koering
French rock band Phoenix took the closing ceremony by storm in Paris performing their hit songs like “Lisztomania” and “If I Ever Feel Better.” A few songs in, they were joined by American singer and Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig.
Céline Dion
Céline Dion made a beautiful return to the stage as she closed the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Wearing a gorgeous beaded gown, Dion sang Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’Amour” from inside the Eiffel Tower.
Aya Nakamura
Franco-Malian sensation Aya Nakamura looked absolutely stunning in this gold feathered dress at the 2024 Paris opening ceremony. She performed her songs “Pookie” and “Djadja” alongside the Order of the Republican Guard.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga kicked off the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a fun and impressive performance of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.” For the show, she wore this black corseted custom Christian Dior Haute Couture look with matching black gloves, a unique hairpiece and red lips.
EXO
South Korean boy band EXO delivered an energetic performance during the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Kygo & Julia Michaels
Kygo and singer-songwriter Julia Michaels performed “Carry Me” at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
While speaking on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Michaels said, “Honestly I don’t really remember much of it. I literally I remember getting on stage I remember walking up, I remember walking up the platform…And I don’t remember anything after that.”
Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, & Anitta
Brazilian music legends Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, along with pop sensation Anitta, performed “Isso Aqui, O Que É?” at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I come from the ghetto. No one there probably imagined I’d get this far,” she told Billboard two days before her performance.
One Direction
One Direction performed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, singing their hit “What Makes You Beautiful.”
Spice Girls
Spice Girls reunited to perform a medley of their hits “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life” at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
Back in 2021, Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice, reminisced about the event on Instagram, saying, “One of the proudest @spicegirls moments, closing the London 2012 Olympics. I love you @emmaleebunton @melaniecmusic @officialmelb @therealgerihalliwell 💕”
Muse
Muse performed “Survival” at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, and became a fna-favorite performance.
Jessie J & Queen
British singer Jessie J teamed up with legendary rock band Queen to perform “We Will Rock You” at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney closed the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics with a beautiful performance of “Hey Jude.”
The Who
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of the iconic British band The Who performed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
George Michael
George Michael entertained the crowd during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol perform at the BT London Live concert, which coincides with the opening of the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Alanis Morissette
Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette performed “Wunderkind” during the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Neil Young
Neil Young performed his classic song “Long May You Run” during the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Bryan Adams & Nelly Furtado
Canadian singers Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado performed together during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Nelly Furtado told NBC News that the performance was “unforgettable”
k.d. lang
k.d. lang delivered a stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Leona Lewis & Jimmy Page
Leona Lewis and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page performed “Whole Lotta Love” at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“That really was a highlight,” Page told Classic Rock via Louder Sound when discussing playing Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love at the Olympics. “It was like passing on a relay baton to the next people hosting the Olympics, which was London. People were saying: ‘Oh, you shouldn’t do that.’ And I thought: ‘Oh, yes I should.'”
He added, “Boy oh boy, [Lewis] was really phenomenal. Her vocal was great. I had a great time, and it had the largest audience of anything I’ve ever done.”
Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin participated in the closing ceremony of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.
Luciano Pavarotti
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed “Nessun Dorma” during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.
Björk
Icelandic singer Björk performed “Oceania” at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics. The song she performed was co-written with the poet Sigurjon Birgir Sigurdsson, and was made for this performance.
In a backstage interview, she revealed what her iconic dress meant. “I represent the ocean. And the idea is that my dress floods the stadium. It might seem strange, but when the art director, Dimitris Papaioannou, came to me with the plan, he wanted me to write a song that encompassed unity. I thought of the ocean because water touches every continent without thinking about race or prejudice or religion.”
Kiss
Kiss played their hit song “Rock and Roll All Nite” during the closing ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.
The Chicks
Known then as The Dixie Chicks, the band performed “Ready to Run” at the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue performed “Dancing Queen” by ABBA during the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham
Australian pop icons Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham performed the inspirational song “Dare to Dream” during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Back in 2020, Newton-John shared a video of the performance on her Facebook, saying, “This was one of the biggest honors of my life, to sing at the SYDNEY OLYMPICS and to pass the OLYMPIC torch – I can’t believe it was 20 years ago today! Thank you OliviaNewtonJohn Videos (on instagram) for reminding me!”
Stevie Wonder
Legendary musician Stevie Wonder performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” during the closing ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Céline Dion
Céline Dion performed “The Power of the Dream” at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In an interview with Marie-Josée Turcotte & Bernard Derome in 1996 on YouTube, Dion discusse how her agents told her to “savor every second.”
Montserrat Caballé & Freddie Mercury
Opera singer Montserrat Caballé and rock legend Freddie Mercury performed “Barcelona” during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, which was a song from their collaborative album.
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie performed his hit song “All Night Long (All Night)” during the closing ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
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