Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Serves Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and a Drag Last Supper
The 2024 Paris Olympics are upon us, with events that began on July 24 and a full-bore extravaganza of an opening ceremonies event on Friday, July 26. At the four-hour kickoff to the politically loaded sporting event, crowdsâmany huddled under ponchos and umbrellas to avoid a nearly event-long downpourâwatched as Joker: Folie Ă Deux co-star Lady Gaga kept her French-language vibes going with a pre-recorded performance along the Seine River, French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura sang alongside the country’s Republican Guard marching band, and Celine Dion made a hotly anticipated appearance for its grand finale.
Spectators shelter from the rain at the Trocadéro during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Trocadero in Paris, France. Picture date: Friday, July 26, 2024.
Mike Egerton – PA Images/Getty Images
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony began with Gaga’s pink feather fan-bedecked performance of âMon Truc en Plumesâ as a tribute to the late French singer and dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) published shortly after her pre-taped performance was broadcast, the Top Gun balladeer wrote âAlthough I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French musicâI wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earthâParis.â
Lady Gaga sings a song at the Pont de Sully area before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.
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To prepare for the performance, âI studied French choreography that put a modern twist on a French classic,â Gaga wrote. âI rehearsed tirelessly to study a joyful French dance, brushing up on some old skillsâI bet you didnât know I used to dance at a â60s French party on the Lower East Side when I was first starting out! I hope you love this performance as much as I do. And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to sing in honor of youâitâs a gift Iâll never forget!â
What followed was a spectacle that might have been better in person than on TV, if you agree with Deadline’s assessment. Nakamura, singing her hit song âDjadja,â marched from the famous French school, the AcadĂ©mie Française. In a waterborne performance, scenes from Western history, including (to the dismay of some on the Right) an apparent drag reimagining of the Last Supper, were acted out. A beheaded Marie Antoinette sang along to the French Revolution-era song âAh! Ăa Ira.â
Oh, and athletes from the participating countries trooped in via boat, after a ceremonial lighting of the Games’ torch by judo champ Teddy Riner and track star Marie-JosĂ© PĂ©rec.
Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Picture date: Friday July 26, 2024.
Jan Woitas – PA Images/Getty Images
Athletes from the US delegation sail along the river Seine near Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.
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After hours of arrivals, speeches, and song, the pinnacle: Celine Dion, standing on the Eiffel Tower, sang in public for the first time since before her diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022. The Dior-clad French American singer performed Edith Piafâs âLâHymne Ă LâAmourâ (âHymn to Love”), a song with its own sports connection: Piaf penned it about her lover, French middleweight champ Marcel Cerdan, shortly before his death in a plane crash in 1949.
This handout, released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, shows a view of singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.
Handout/Getty Images
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