The 2024 Paris Olympics closed off by passing the torch over the United States as they set their eyes on hosting the 2028 event in Los Angeles.
To celebrate and welcome in the games, some iconic performers took the stage, including a few unexpected moments. The Los Angeles committee organizing the event tapped stars like Billie Eilish , Snoop Dogg , and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to represent American culture and give the world a taste of what is to come. Plus, Tom Cruise gave a unique stunt to truly underscore how over-the-top America plans to go with the athletic competition.
Fans raved about the performers, already pumped to see what will go down in four years. And, of course, Team USA attended the closing ceremony in Paris where Simone Biles got on stage to accept on the behalf of the country.
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Simone, who has been a powerhouse athlete and secured 11 Olympic medals over her career, kicked off America's acceptance of the responsibility, accompanying the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass on stage as H.E.R went off with a rendition of the United States National Anthem, a particularly key act of patriotism.
Actor Tom Cruise pumped up the crowd with a daring stunt. The adrenaline junkie, known for doing all his own risky moves in films, scaled the stadium, jumping down with only a wire to guide him. Simone handed the Olympic flag off to Tom who drove through the crowd in a motorcycle, representing the toughness in American culture. After driving off, he appeared to take it to the Hollywood sign, officially signifying the next location.
Over in Los Angeles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers began their performance, touching on their hits. Michael Johnson grabbed the flag and ran through the streets. Their performance on Long Beach was shown on the jumbotrons in France where fans were treated to a unique experience of the band. Even from around the world, they were dancing and cheering along as those in California did the same.
Bringing in a younger star, Billie Eilish then performed with her brother Finneas as she sang Birds of the Feather. The Closing Ceremony now truly seemed like a Cali dream as palm trees acted as a backdrop for the musician. After her more mellow performance, Snoop Dogg took over the spotlight. He brought in Dr. Dre and performed Drop It Like It's Hot.
Snoop had been in Paris just the day before as he became a spectacle during the Olympic Games. He hung out with Martha Stewart at an equestrian event as well as popping around to other athletic competitions.
While many were attributing the performance location to Los Angeles' Venice Beach, residents were quick to set the record straight online. "Not Venice Beach getting the credit when that #OlympicGames performance was filmed near my house in LONG BEACH," wrote one fan.
Plus, another noticed that they might have warped the water to make it look more appealing. This comes after major controversy in Paris over the cleanliness of the Seine. "I STG Hollywood dyed the water of Long Beach light blue. I noticed that yesterday that it looked turquoise and I can ASSURE yall, it NEVERRRRR looks like that. Lmfao," a fan wrote.
As for the performances themselves, they were well-loved by fans. A fan online was thrilled over the young performer. They wrote: "Billie Eilish performance of Birds of a Feather was absolutely beautiful. You can hear the emotions she conveys in her music. She needs to sing again at the LA Opening Ceremony at the 2028 Olympics."
That being said, some fans weren't super convinced. "Billie i love you babe i know your talent but you gotta hold the mic to your mouth if you’re gonna lipsync," alleged one fan. Another added: "I like Billie Eilish, I do, but what’s the point of lip syncing if your track vocals are also bad? Like, you pre recorded it -no shade, all these artists did- and that’s what you went with?"
Fans also celebrated Snoop as one wrote: "Snoop Dogg performing at the closing ceremonies is such a perfect ending. He was such a genuine cheerleader for all Olympic events the last two weeks and now he gets to welcome the games back to his hometown."
In the end, the performances did the job they were supposed to: excite the crowd for next time. "tarting off the LA Olympics strong with some sweet Tom Cruise stunts, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop! I’m hype for 2028," said a fan.
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