From the roof of the Stade de France, Tom Cruise lowered himself into the stadium to help Paris hand over the reins to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics. He brought Hollywood magic to the event.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg, all from California, were also in the handover part of the event on Sunday.
It came after a “golden voyager,” acrobats, and famous French musicians played at the French stadium for the major ceremony.
At the start of the ceremony, US R&B singer H.E.R. sang the Star-Spangled Banner, which is the US national song.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, gave the Olympic flag to Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, to start the change-over part. Simone Biles, an Olympic gymnast from the US, joined Bass on stage.
People in the stadium cheered when Cruise was seen in the rafters. He then rappelled into the stadium in a very Mission: Impossible-like way.
He greeted Olympians in the crowd and then shook hands with Bass. He then took the Olympic flag from her and got on a motorbike to ride it out of the stadium for fun.
A film that had already been made showed the Hollywood star riding past famous Parisian sites like the Eiffel Tower on his way to an airport.
After getting on the plane, Cruise could be seen skydiving and then arriving back in the United States.
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The star then carried the flag up to the famous Hollywood sign and gave it to Kate Courtney, a US rider.
The flag was passed between several US Olympians until it got to famous Venice Beach, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing their hit song “Can’t Stop” for a crowd.
The rock band then gave the stage to Eilish, who sang her new song “Birds of a Feather” in a sweet way while wearing a baseball cap, shorts, and a T-shirt that was too big on her.
Snoop has been seen at several events during the Olympics. Later, he went onto the beach with fellow US rapper Dr. Dre to perform their hit song “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Before the show, Cruise shared a picture of himself from high up in the Stade de France with the words “Thank you, Paris!” Going to LA now.
The closing event of the Paris Olympics began with performances by a “golden voyager,” acrobats, and well-known French musicians.
During the lively music part of the major closing ceremony, artists like French indie rock band Phoenix, electro house DJ Kavinsky, and Vampire Weekend lead singer Ezra Koenig played.
The fancy event on Sunday started with a performance of “Under the Paris Sky,” a song from the 1951 movie of the same name. The French singer Zaho de Sagazan and a group from the Tuileries Garden in Paris played the song.
As the stadium filled with thousands of Olympians and fans from all over the world, they got together to sing along to old favorites like “We Are the Champions” by Queen and “Freed From Desire” by Gala Rizzatto.
An orchestra played dramatic music to start the “record” part of the event, which included a stunning light show that shot beams throughout the stadium.
That part talked about the records that the athletes set and the “golden record” that was sent into space in 1977 as a time capsule.
Then, a “golden voyager” in a fancy gold outfit was brought down from the roof to the stage to help tell the story of the Olympics.
Along the way, someone in a cloak gave them a Greek flag to show that the Games come from old times.
Later, a group of acrobats dressed as aliens joined the traveler on stage and helped him find the Olympic rings that had been raised from the stadium floor.
Ben Bernheim, a French opera singer and pianist, then sang Hymn to Apollo while Alain Roche, a French musician, played a piano while hanging in the air.
Phoenix, a band from Versailles, took the stage at the Stade de France and played their hit song “Lisztomania” in a lively way to start the musical performance part.
When the Belgian singer Angele joined the group, they had the Olympians dancing to their catchy song.
French electro house artist Kavinsky also played his famous song “Nightcall,” and a guitarist in a mask shredded after Cambodian rapper Vannda.
He then joined Phoenix to start the shift to the United States for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Koenig is the star of Vampire Weekend.
At the end of the show, French singer-songwriter Yseult gave a powerful version of Frank Sinatra’s classic “My Way” while a huge fireworks show went off above the stadium.
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