The French group played hits and collaborations in the center of Paris’s Stade de France.
The closing ceremony of the Olympics will feature two legendary French bands, Phoenix and Air, as confirmed by the event’s executive director, Thierry Reboul, in an interview with Variety. The opening ceremony of the Olympics featured two superstars from North America, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.
Together with artistic director Thomas Jolly, Reboul produced the highly successful but contentious opening ceremony show along the Seine and recently filed a police complaint for it after receiving death threats. Reboul is currently finishing up preparations for the closing event.
“Even though we had international stars (Lady Gaga and Celine Dion), we’ve tried to champion French talents from the beginning; each time it was promoting a French artist nonetheless,” stated Reboul. “Of course, we always want to bring attention to our nation.” In fact, Gaga sang in French and paid homage to Zizi Jeanmaire’s cabaret-inspired “Mon Truc en Plumes,” while Dion made an emotional stage return with Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour.” Gaga had to pre-record her performance because it was expected to rain heavily.
Phoenix and Air were both created during the so-called French Touch music wave, which began in the middle of the 1990s and revolutionized pop culture worldwide with its unique fusion of dance, jazz, rock, and electro beats. Air and Phoenix, along with one of their most well-known peers, Daft Punk, have continued to be celebrated globally even as the French Touch movement came to an end in the late 2000s.
When we examine the history of music today, the French musical style and its artists have unquestionably had the greatest global impact. Therefore, it was crucial that we acknowledged it, according to Reboul. Aya Nakamura, the French Malian R&B singer, sang her two biggest hits, “Pookie” and “Djadja,” whose lyrics were laced with Aznavour’s “Ma Boheme” and “For Me Formidable.” Gojira, a metal band, performed the classic French song “Ah! Ca Ira” alongside a decapitated Marie-Antoinette. Other French musicians that performed at the opening ceremony included Gaga and Dion.
Air, a band made up of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel, sold millions of copies of its six albums and two soundtracks. Additionally, Godin composed the music for “Fire of Love,” the 2022 release of the Oscar-nominated documentary directed by Sara Dosa and featuring volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
The alternative rock group Phoenix, on the other hand, was founded in 1995 and is fronted by Thomas Mars. Alpha Zulu, the group’s seventh album, was released in 2022. In addition, Mars is wed to Sofia Coppola, with whom she has worked on several projects, most notably the soundtrack for her Apple film “On the Rocks.”
Reboul told Variety that the segment created by the Los Angeles organizing committee will run 10 to 15 minutes and feature some live elements, but he declined to comment on the rumors of Taylor Swift or Beyoncé attending the closing ceremony or on Tom Cruise’s alleged stunts.
According to custom, Los Angeles has prepared a 10- to 15-minute teaser, dedicated to them, to showcase what their Olympic games will entail. They have complete creative control over their segment, according to Reboul. There will be a lot of stuff in it. They are fully in charge of it, but we are responsible for producing certain things for them,” he said. Regarding Gaga and Dion’s involvement, which was kept very secret, the list of performers for the ceremony’s Los Angeles portion is extremely confidential. Reboul is among the select few members of the Paris 2024 committee who is familiar with the lineup.
Some employees of the Paris committee told Variety that they are betting on Swift based on her social media activity and the fact that she has a gap in her Eras Tour schedule, despite some French outlets predicting that Beyoncé will be the main act at the closing ceremony. Potential preparations for the Olympics’ closing ceremony, however, would probably be complicated by the recent news that Swift had to postpone three concerts in Vienna due to a foiled terrorist attack linked to ISIS. Swift still has five more dates scheduled to perform at London’s Wembley Stadium between August 15 and August 20.
The protocol for these Olympics, including the closing ceremony at the Stade de France, is “already at its highest level,” a source close to Paris 2024’s organizing committee told Variety when asked about plans to bolster security for the closing ceremony in the wake of the foiled Vienna attack.
Reboul affirmed that a “incalculable” amount of time has been spent by him and the other organizers to create a flawless security plan for the ceremonies. “The government directly manages security, but we collaborate very effectively with them, and as of right now, there’s no denying that it has been successful. Although we haven’t crossed the finish line yet, there haven’t been any security obstacles thus far,” he stated, noting that the procedure is “less complicated” because it is taking place indoors at the Stade de France rather than along the Seine.
Following the deadly attack at a Russian concert hall in March that was claimed by ISIS, and the attack in Israel on October 7 by Hamas, France increased security to the highest level. Reboul addressed the threatening messages he and Jolly had received, stating that they contained “all sorts of threats.” “In these kinds of situations, there are a number of threats that shouldn’t be there, and I believe they are somewhat significant, but we’ve taken all the required actions,” he stated. The crime unit opened an investigation last weekend.
While planning the farewell party at the Stade de France will not be as difficult in terms of security and logistics, Reboul noted that there will be additional difficulties because sporting events will conclude the previous evening, on Saturday, at around two in the morning.
It’s a race against the clock, he said, as we only have 10 to 12 hours to construct all the sets and practice on location because you can’t do that beforehand and you have to be ready at the end of the day.
The executive director added that Jolly was working on a show that would highlight the need to protect the Olympics and our planet by using “science-fiction” and “dystopia.”
He stated, “To increase awareness about the fact that our world is fragile and we need to preserve our values, there will be a science-fiction dimension to his show.” If Reboul thought Jolly’s last show was subversive, he wouldn’t say.
The great majority of people in France and abroad praised the opening ceremony, so he said, “I don’t know what to do if we’re accused of doing politics just because we’re talking about peace and the need for more harmony in humankind.” Jolly’s assertion that the drag queen performance at the opening ceremony was a tribute to Greek mythology rather than a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s religious painting “The Last Supper” was also affirmed by Reboul.
At the closing ceremony, which will, as previously announced, chart significant points in the Olympic Games’ history dating back to Ancient Greece, there will be even more Greek gods. Reboul and Jolly will transition to the Paralympic celebrations following the Olympics, with the opening ceremony held at Paris’ Place de la Concorde.
