On July 27, 2012, the opening ceremony of the XXX Olympiad was held in London. The organizers tried to make it as luxurious and solemn as possible in order to surpass all previous official ceremonies of the Games in this regard.
Famous singers and musicians performed at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. In particular, Mike Oldfield, a popular English multi-instrumentalist, performed excerpts from some of his musical works, moreover, to his music, a whole performance dedicated to Great Britain was held at the stadium. Young rapper Dizzy Raskal and the Arctic Monkeys also performed during the opening ceremony. The group performed only two compositions - their hit "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", released in 2005, and the famous song of the Beatles "Come Together".
Musicians weren't the only ones performing at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The writer J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, also appeared on the scene, and at the stadium one could also see actors portraying the characters she created. The audience then watched the play of the famous comedian Rowan Atkinson, who is known as the ridiculous and awkward Mr. Bean. Mingling with the musicians from the symphony orchestra, Atkinson put on a funny performance on stage, pretending that he too was trying to play musical instruments and intended to surpass the athletes.
Despite the fact that some musicians, including members of the Rolling Stones, refused to perform at the opening of the London Olympics, their songs were still performed. In addition, the audience could dance to the hits of Queen, Prodigy, Placebo, Sex Pistols, Eurythmix, etc.
To enhance the effect and amaze the audience, the organizers of the event also invited Paul McCartney. After performing cover versions of the songs of the famous Liverpool four, the audience was already ready for the performance of the former band member, but his appearance on the stage was still unexpected and at the same time very solemn. Paul McCartney performed at the very end of the ceremony, performing the songs "Hey Jude" and "The End".
