The Kingdom has produced so many top pop acts over the past 50 years that it takes mere seconds to create a wish list that would have audiences salivating — and that’s with so many left out.
The Who, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Adele have all been mentioned but, like they say, you’ll have to watch the show to find out.
David Arnold, music director for Sunday’s closing ceremony, told London’s Telegraph that it will be the greatest after-party in the world.
“If the opening ceremony was the wedding, then we’re the wedding reception,” he said. “We’re the one where everyone gets out of their cars at the village hall, goes ‘Wasn’t that lovely, everyone looked great, let’s put on ‘Blame It on the Boogie’ and have a laugh.’ ”
Not-so-secret rehearsals have been going non-stop at a vacant factory in London and all five members of the Spice Girls, who skyrocketed to fame in the mid-1990s, have been spotted there holding microphones while standing on top of traditional London taxis working on material.
Blog: Spice girls reunite for Olympics
Other notables seen around the same building include The Pet Shop Boys, Annie Lennox, Jessie J, Brian May, Tinie Tempah and Eric Idle of Monty Python fame.
It’s expected Idle will lead the crowd in a rendition of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” featured in the comedy troupe’s 1979 film The Life of Brian.
Mum is indeed the word, but rumours persist that the lineup includes 20 or more artists — many among the greatest British stars ever — performing 30 major pieces.
Talk has the elusive Kate Bush (she hasn’t toured since 1979) taking the stage. A download of a new remix of her classic “Running Up That Hill” briefly popped up on Amazon this past week with a release date of Aug. 12, the same day as the closing ceremony. The posting has since been taken down with no explanation.
Roger Daltrey of The Who has been chatting about a piece of music the band has recorded that would be a “fabulous ending for the Olympics” but with no hard confirmation of an appearance.
Some fans are hoping for a Kinks reunion but insiders say it will just be front man Ray Davies.
George Michael has publicly confirmed he’ll perform after posting to Twitter this past week: “Spending most of the next week rehearsing like crazy for the Olympic closing ceremonies” and so has Muse, which performed in the opening ceremonies.
It wouldn’t be a proper British concert if Sir Elton John didn’t show, which the smart money has him doing. Same with the Rolling Stones, who just celebrated their 50th anniversary together.
While Pink Floyd has denied being part of the show, fans are keeping their fingers crossed.
Music from Dark Side of the Moon and the band’s famous floating pig were both featured in the montage during the opening ceremony.
Other entertainers and celebrities could include Paul Weller, Kaiser Chiefs, Elbow, Absolutely Fabulous, Stella Tennant, Lily Cole, The Clash, Taio Cruz, The Manic Street Preachers, The Royal Ballet, Emili Sandu, Georgia May Jagger, Julian Lloyd Webber, Take That, Liam Gallagher, Baggy Trousers, Ed Sheeran, New Order, Madness, One Direction as well as super model Naomi Campbell and comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
A rumour floating around a year ago was that Paul McCartney, who performed at the opening ceremony for a reported $1.50, and Ringo Starr and would unite with Julian Lennon and Dhani Harrison, the son of the late George Harrison, to perform a Beatles set.
Don’t count on it.
But don’t be surprised to see one half of that country’s greatest songwriting teams — Sir Paul — take the stage alone to lower the curtain on his nation’s 2012 games.
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