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| From Olympic Closing Ceremony |
I thought it would be fun to see the Olympic finale in the company of thousands of happy Team GB supporters, and the Hyde Park Closing Ceremony concert, complete with big screen TV feeds, seemed like the perfect way to achieve this. In the end, the event did not quite pan out as originally billed, in that the final act, Blur, clashed with the main part of the closing ceremony entertainment. Nevertheless, it was a great show, and a fitting end to an amazing two weeks.
The music kicked off with Bombay Bicycle Club, who we had first seen last year at Latitude. They were followed by New Order, who gave us a sample of their electro dance hits, and put on a spirited performance in spite of the novelty of playing during the hours of daylight. Next up was the Specials, with the crowd joining in with various ska favourites from the late '70's. I was trying to pay particular attention to the Jerry Dammers sound-alike's organ playing technique, as his Rat Race is on our band's set list.
After the Specials, we had an hour or so of Olympic TV highlights and the first ten minutes of the opening ceremony itself before the stage curtains opened to reveal Blur, assembled underneath a set that replicated the concrete arches of the Westway. I did not realise the significance of this until they played their (relatively) newly written song of the same name. They took us on journey though their extensive back catalogue, with plenty of sing-along moments, including the inevitable laddish Park Life (does Phil Daniels have any other acting roles?), the manic Song 2, and and the more wistful Tender and The Universal.
I believe that this show was a one-off. If so, what an impressive way to depart for one of the cornerstones of Brit Pop, and indeed to bring to an end the cultural and sporting feast that we have been lucky enough to experience over the past few weeks.
The music kicked off with Bombay Bicycle Club, who we had first seen last year at Latitude. They were followed by New Order, who gave us a sample of their electro dance hits, and put on a spirited performance in spite of the novelty of playing during the hours of daylight. Next up was the Specials, with the crowd joining in with various ska favourites from the late '70's. I was trying to pay particular attention to the Jerry Dammers sound-alike's organ playing technique, as his Rat Race is on our band's set list.
After the Specials, we had an hour or so of Olympic TV highlights and the first ten minutes of the opening ceremony itself before the stage curtains opened to reveal Blur, assembled underneath a set that replicated the concrete arches of the Westway. I did not realise the significance of this until they played their (relatively) newly written song of the same name. They took us on journey though their extensive back catalogue, with plenty of sing-along moments, including the inevitable laddish Park Life (does Phil Daniels have any other acting roles?), the manic Song 2, and and the more wistful Tender and The Universal.
I believe that this show was a one-off. If so, what an impressive way to depart for one of the cornerstones of Brit Pop, and indeed to bring to an end the cultural and sporting feast that we have been lucky enough to experience over the past few weeks.
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