Opening ceremony with Céline Dion and Lady Gaga
Published: Saturday, Jul 27th 2024, 00:50
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Céline Dion closed the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games with a spectacular performance on the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Lady Gaga also sang in French at the opening ceremony, albeit not live.
Canadian singer Céline Dion performed "L'Hymne à l'amour" by French chanson icon Édith Piaf and had the audience cheering. Not even the incessant rain in Paris could affect the Grande Dame during her moving performance.
There had been speculation for days that the 56-year-old singer, who is highly revered in France, would make an appearance. In 2022, Dion announced that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
Paris from the picture book
Superstar Lady Gaga's performance was shown shortly after the start of the Olympic opening ceremony. The 38-year-old performed "Mon truc en plumes" by Zizi Jeanmaire on a golden staircase. The singer began her show with the words "Good evening and welcome to Paris". At the beginning, dancers covered Lady Gaga's face with pink feather fans. The backdrop was reminiscent of a picture-book Paris.
However, according to the German news agency DPA, the performance did not take place live. When the show was shown during the opening ceremony, the stage was deserted. Apparently the act was recorded beforehand.
The original dance number of the song, which is called "Mein Federzeug" in German, also with a large feather fan, was once the trademark of dancer and singer Jeanmaire. It was not the US-American's first performance in French; she had already sung in the language in the film "A star is born".
320,000 onlookers
The opening ceremony, attended by 320,000 people on the Seine, turned into a brightly colored show with fireworks, a laser show and spectacular images along the landmarks of Paris - and also sent a message of peace to the world.
Prior to this, the approximately 6800 athletes had presented themselves to the world public in an impressive boat parade on the Seine. Shooter Nina Christen and mountain biker Nino Schurter carried the Swiss flag down the Seine. At 10.54 pm, France's head of state Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open.
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