Closing Ceremoney - 2012 London Olympics

The show, which organizers estimated was being broadcast to more than 300 million people, opened with a segment showcasing a day in the life of the British capital, and an actor playing Winston Churchill, quoting Shakespeare from atop a mock Big Ben.


Like the Olympic torch passing from one runner to another, the London games’ closing ceremony was an all-ages affair designed to show the flame of British creativity leaping from one age group to the next.

The 21-year-old singer Ed Sheeran sang “Wish You Were Here” with members of Pink Floyd and Genesis. Jessie J belted out “We Will Rock You” with Queen’s Brian May. The Kaiser Chiefs played The Who’s “Pinball Wizard.”

The Spice Girls performing

The Spice Girls took us back to the “Cool Britannia” 1990s and the Pet Shop Boys to the synth-loving 1980s.

A ceremony that director Kim Gavin called an “elegant mashup” of music and creativity was designed to show that the British Invasion never ended, thank you very much.

So there was Annie Lennox and George Michael, who got their start in the 80s  but the roars that greeted Michael’s “Freedom” and Lennox’s “Little Bird” suggested both are still going strong.

If that was too old hat, there was One Direction, boy band of the moment, as well as Tinie Tempah, Jessie J and Taio Cruz who performed their own songs, then a Bee Gees track from the golden age of disco.

There was Elbow  the kind of serious band music journalists love as respite for those who probably found the rest a bit cheesy.

And if that was all insufficiently quirky, there was a brass band playing Madness; a Guards band in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats playing Blur; and Monty Python’s Eric Idle singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” accompanied by centurions, bagpipers and roller-skating nuns.

We heard the voices and songs of the departed  Queen’s Freddie Mercury singing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Liverpool choirs performing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

There were some notable absences: No Rolling Stones the band said they were out of practice. No Elton John, although he did record one of the official games anthems. There was a David Bowie montage, but no Bowie in person.

It wasn’t just about the music. Gavin said he wanted to show how “U.K. culture, media, music are locked together to create the next big thing.”

So there was a nod to Britain’s scandal-tarred but vibrant press, in the newsprint-covered landmarks and vehicles of the opening scene.

There was fashion. We saw 1960s Mods, whose sharply tailored look can be seen in the modern designs of Tom Ford and others. There were images of supermodels in designs by Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen  and Victoria Beckham, now a designer as well as a Spice Girl.

One of the models was even a Jagger  Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stone Mick.
The show rocked the 80,000 spectators inside Olympic Stadium, but didn’t get rave reviews from those watching on TV. Some found it too kitschy, or too incomprehensible  youngsters wondering who Ray Davies was, parents scratching their heads at One Direction.

The sarcastic spirit of many British Twitter users  banished for two weeks by the Olympic feel-good factor  was back with a vengeance.

“Embarrass a generation,” tweeted film critic Dave Calhoun in a play on the games’ official motto: “Inspire a Generation.”

That Olympic slogan could also sum up the ceremony’s ethos.

Or perhaps, to misquote The Who, the kids are alright and their parents are, too.

Medal count

Rank by Gold	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	46	29	29	104
2	People's Republic of China	38	27	22	87
3	Great Britain	29	17	19	65
4	Russian Federation	24	25	33	82
5	Republic of Korea	13	8	7	28
6	Germany	11	19	14	44
7	France	11	11	12	34
8	Italy	8	9	11	28
9	Hungary	8	4	5	17
10	Australia	7	16	12	35
11	Japan	7	14	17	38
12	Kazakhstan	7	1	5	13
13	Netherlands	6	6	8	20
14	Ukraine	6	5	9	20
15	Cuba	5	3	6	14
16	New Zealand	5	3	5	13
17	Islamic Republic of Iran	4	5	3	12
18	Jamaica	4	4	4	12
19	Czech Republic	4	3	3	10
20	Democratic People's Republic of Korea	4	0	2	6
21	Spain	3	10	4	17
22	Brazil	3	5	9	17
23	Belarus	3	5	5	13
24	South Africa	3	2	1	6
25	Ethiopia	3	1	3	7
26	Croatia	3	1	2	6
27	Romania	2	5	2	9
28	Kenya	2	4	5	11
29	Denmark	2	4	3	9
30	Azerbaijan	2	2	6	10
30	Poland	2	2	6	10
32	Turkey	2	2	1	5
33	Switzerland	2	2	0	4
34	Lithuania	2	1	2	5
35	Norway	2	1	1	4
36	Canada	1	5	12	18
37	Sweden	1	4	3	8
38	Colombia	1	3	4	8
39	Georgia	1	3	3	7
39	Mexico	1	3	3	7
41	Ireland	1	1	3	5
42	Argentina	1	1	2	4
42	Slovenia	1	1	2	4
42	Serbia	1	1	2	4
45	Tunisia	1	1	1	3
46	Dominican Republic	1	1	0	2
47	Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	3	4
47	Uzbekistan	1	0	3	4
49	Latvia	1	0	1	2
50	Algeria	1	0	0	1
50	Bahamas	1	0	0	1
50	Grenada	1	0	0	1
50	Uganda	1	0	0	1
50	Venezuela	1	0	0	1
55	India	0	2	4	6
56	Mongolia	0	2	3	5
57	Thailand	0	2	1	3
58	Egypt	0	2	0	2
59	Slovakia	0	1	3	4
60	Armenia	0	1	2	3
60	Belgium	0	1	2	3
60	Finland	0	1	2	3
63	Bulgaria	0	1	1	2
63	Estonia	0	1	1	2
63	Indonesia	0	1	1	2
63	Malaysia	0	1	1	2
63	Puerto Rico	0	1	1	2
63	Taipei (Chinese Taipei)	0	1	1	2
69	Botswana	0	1	0	1
69	Cyprus	0	1	0	1
69	Gabon	0	1	0	1
69	Guatemala	0	1	0	1
69	Montenegro	0	1	0	1
69	Portugal	0	1	0	1
75	Greece	0	0	2	2
75	Republic of Moldova	0	0	2	2
75	Qatar	0	0	2	2
75	Singapore	0	0	2	2
79	Afghanistan	0	0	1	1
79	Bahrain	0	0	1	1
79	Hong Kong, China	0	0	1	1
79	Saudi Arabia	0	0	1	1
79	Kuwait	0	0	1	1
79	Morocco	0	0	1	1
79	Tajikistan	0	0	1	1