Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:17 pm  

FA - but were they the top "popular" bits of music of their era? Who was the equivalent of The Who (ie well known but not top dogs in their era)?

You missed the best, and much older, piece of music - Greensleeves.

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:19 pm  

I should like to apologise. No sooner were the words "there'll be f'kin Morris Dancers next" out of my mouth, and lo and behold, the Gods of Extracting the Urine produced them!

With a screetching Jessie J murdering a classical Queen song....a true 60's legend struggling with Waterloo Sunset.....the Spice Girls looking like a plumper tribute band....yet another rendition of Our House.....and the bizarre rendition of the Who classic Pinball Wizard by the Kaiser Chiefs, when the genuine article were in the house....you just knew it was going to be a long evening, even before the appearance of the skating Nuns.

Thank God it was The Who, and not McCartney who closed the gig, although I have to be honest, Pete Townsend's attempts at pogoing lacked a certain bounce. Although that may have been due to some Health and Safety regulation pertaining to the health of 67 year olds.

I thought the Finale Fireworks were a tad lacking. Perhaps they had used up all the good ones in the opening ceremony, and simply run out.

Still, always look on the bright side of life, eh? £9 billion is not that much these days......

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:30 pm  

The main problem with the closing ceremony was that it was too safe, too mainstream - It wasn't quite the Queen's Jubilee concert, but it ran it close.

Compare with Danny Boyle's opening effort, which refused to be predictable and was at times deliberately baffling, last night's was just a glorified karaoke night, albeit with a bigger budget than down your local.

In defence, this was meant to be a party, and like most parties, the music is often questionable.....Overall, it was sh!te, but a pleasant, forgivable type of sh!te...

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:50 pm  

I find the attitude that people who didn't enjoy the closing ceremony must automatically be "miserable f*ckers" a little odd. Is that the criteria by which every theatrical production must be judged? Like it, or you're a "miserable f*cker"?

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:53 pm  

Rock God X wrote:

I find the attitude that people who didn't enjoy the closing ceremony must automatically be "miserable f*ckers" a little odd. Is that the criteria by which every theatrical production must be judged? Like it, or you're a "miserable f*cker"?

Its not a theatrical production, it wasnt supposed to be. You werent supposed to be critiquing a performance or story.

It was, pretty simply, a bit of party, showcasing british music and culture of all types.

If you could find nothing in it you liked, then yes, you probably are a miserable f*cker

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:55 pm  

Durham Giant wrote:

Despite the usual Daly Baiting, the idea of having the video sequences of British pop stars who did not turn up was ridiculous. The Daviud Bowie bit was hilarious here is one of our mosdt talented performers with his hits from about 1968 t0 82 ( after which he went shiite) but then he was not there. Surely it would have been better to have someone who could have turned up.

Did no one think to check wehether Ray davies could still sing ( was great and i love the song) but he has lost his voice.

Emili Sande rather than Adele.

Beady Eye were poor as well. should have asked Noel to come back and do it as oasis.

Loads of much better bands out there both historically and now.

It all seemed to be done on the cheap and in a hurry IMHO. It could of and should have been much better.

My other gripe was although it was the London Olympics it has been billed as the British olympics with emphasis on the rest of the UK but the end of the olympics seemed to be all about London

To be fair to to the organisers a lot of the acts they probably wanted were unavailable. Adele is 7months pregnant, Noel Gallagher allegedly said he has enough fame and money and didn't want to, Coldplay are on tour in America, The Rolling Stones are only just getting back together for a tour and thought it'd be too soon...and that's before we get to the fact the half the Beatles are dead, Freddie Mercury is dead...and no doubt many more turned them down.

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:20 pm  

Dally wrote:

The generation gap is as big as ever when looking up from the perspective of youth (rather than down from dodderyness). Always will be the same.

It does seems to be the case in your house, yes.

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:29 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

Rock God X wrote:

I find the attitude that people who didn't enjoy the closing ceremony must automatically be "miserable f*ckers" a little odd. Is that the criteria by which every theatrical production must be judged? Like it, or you're a "miserable f*cker"?

Its not a theatrical production, it wasnt supposed to be. You werent supposed to be critiquing a performance or story.

It was, pretty simply, a bit of party, showcasing british music and culture of all types.

If you could find nothing in it you liked, then yes, you probably are a miserable f*cker

Of course it was a theatrical production (of sorts). If it was just 'a party', it wouldn't have been broadcast to a worldwide audience. And of course people will critique something (anything) of that nature. I'm not saying there wasn't a single thing I would have enjoyed, but the 45 minutes or so I sat through convinced me that it wasn't worth sticking with in case there was a three or four minute spell that was enjoyable.

If you enjoyed it, you must be a happy clappy fucktard with no taste. See, lazy stereotyping is dead easy.

[Durham Giant]

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:04 pm  

UllFC wrote:

To be fair to to the organisers a lot of the acts they probably wanted were unavailable. Adele is 7months pregnant, Noel Gallagher allegedly said he has enough fame and money and didn't want to, Coldplay are on tour in America, The Rolling Stones are only just getting back together for a tour and thought it'd be too soon...and that's before we get to the fact the half the Beatles are dead, Freddie Mercury is dead...and no doubt many more turned them down.

Coldplay, radiohead, rolling stones, pj harvey, roxy music, rod stewart, ash. elvis costello, human league, dire straits, pulp, travis, snow patrol, keane, florence.

and that is off the top of my head. i just think that having videos of dead simngers or of singers who were not there just smacked a bit of desparation. There are loads of good singers out there who could have all done a turn and being there in the flesh. Should have shocased some other areas oif the country as well. Would have been nice to have even had the proclaimers or someone from N. Ireland or wales. Tom jones

Re: Closing ceremony. : Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:15 pm  

I loved it

yes some of the music wasn't to my taste but as an event I thought the closing ceremony was great