NBC Olympic Closing Ceremony 2012: British Closed Games with Amusing Spectacle
The closing ceremony is one of the best things about the Olympics because it signifies that the Games are finally coming to a close. The countries and their athletes have all earned the right to kick back and enjoy themselves.
These Olympians have spent the past three weeks putting their bodies on the line for their countries, and the closing ceremony is a way for the host country to give the athletes a party to celebrate their accomplishments. It's the host country's way of saying, "Thank you."
Musical Portion
In one of the most varied musical performances ever done, the Brits definitely surprised and accomplished everything they needed to. From the youthful One Direction, Tinie Tempah and Ed Sheeran to the more experienced George Michael, Fatboy Slim and the Spice Girls, the spectacle was fun and a great expression of not just British music, but their hospitality.
The best part of the musical portion, though, was easily when the band Queen came out and had Jessie J singing with them. She has an underrated vocal ability, and I enjoyed their rendition of "We Will Rock You."
It was also pretty awesome to see video of Freddy Mercury and John Lennon projected on screens as part of the Games this year. It wouldn't have been the same without having original music from those two performers, as they are two of the biggest British musicians of all time.
Comedic Portion
Opening with "Mr. Blue Sky" by the Electric Light Orchestra was a beautiful touch, especially with the human-cannonball part leading into Monty Python doing a Bollywood dance at the end of it. There is an actual human cannonball to close out the act?
Part of what makes the British sense of humor hilarious is that it's just completely random and nonsensical. That same style continued here at the end of the Olympic Games with the comedic portion. There was no rhyme or reason to the act, just random British humor. And in this case, simpler was not just better, it made the closing ceremony worth watching.
Overall, I was thoroughly entertained. This was an amazing way to end the Games. It didn't have the same kind of substance as the opening ceremony did, but it didn't have to. It was fun and entertaining. It's just what the world needed.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek, runs the NFL draft website ScarDraft.com and hosts Kvetching Draftniks Radio.
