It's hard to imagine any sort of massive brouhaha celebrating British music and culture without mentioning The Beatles… in fact, it's a little hard to imagine it without only mentioning The Beatles… so it comes as a pleasant non-surprise to learn that Sir Paul McCartney will be closing the opening ceremonies at this years Summer Olympics in London on July 27, where he'll no doubt perform a medley of Beatles hits while the rest of the world bemoans the fact that there was never a Norwegian, Mongolian or Ugandan Invasion back in the '60s.
McCartney confirmed his headline slot in an interview with BBC Radio 5 yesterday (via Rolling Stone). No word yet on who else will be performing, though it's been confirmed that Blur will headline the closing ceremony in London's Hyde Park and that, in total, the opening and closing ceremonies will feature a cast of 15,000 people (4,5000 of which, I'm told, will be washed-up Britpop one hit wonder groups).
Can't pretend to know or care much about the actual Games, frankly, but I've always contested that England always has and always will produce the best rock music on the planet, so I'm looking forward to seeing how (and with whom) the Olympic organizers go about convincing the rest of the planet. Asking Keith Moon to attend? Probably not the best first step. Fingers crossed for the rest of the line-up…
Which Beatles (or, hell, why not, solo Paul) songs would you like to see McCartney perform at the Olympics opening ceremony? Let us know in the comments section below. While you're busy thinking, check out his performance from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (via Stereogum).
For more news, reviews, videos and tunes from your favorite bands/artists, make sure to follow our Musicand Classic RockOlogies.
Comments (1)