On This Day in 2012: The Who Closed Out the London Olympics with a Spectacular Medley

On Sunday, August 11, the word celebrated the close of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The dazzling ceremony featured a variety of music performances, both at the Stade de France outside of the host city and on a beach near Los Angeles, where the 2028 Olympics are scheduled to take place.

A similarly memorable ceremony was presented 12 years ago today (August 12) to mark the end of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. That event, which was held at Olympic Stadium, featured a celebration of British history, culture, and music, and included performances by a variety of well-known pop and rock stars from the U.K.

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Perhaps most notably, the ceremony concluded with a spectacular medley of hits by The Who. Just prior the band’s performance, English prima ballerina Darcey Andrea Bussell descended from the top of the stadium to the stage dressed in a costume representing a phoenix. She then performed a dance routine with more than 200 ballerinas, and four male members of The Royal Ballet. After the dance presentation, dubbed “The Spirit of the Flame,” the Olympic flame was extinguished.

About The Who’s Performance

The Who then launched into their mini set with “Baba O’Riley,” as frontman Roger Daltrey belted out the classic 1971 tune, with lyrics slightly changed for the occasion. The band then shifted to “See Me, Feel Me,” from the group’s legendary 1969 rock opera, Tommy. While The Who performed the tune, the event’s various other performers began to join them on stage, and fireworks exploded from the top of the stadium into the sky.

The rock legends brought the medley to a close with a rousing rendition of their hard-rocking early gem “My Generation.” A choir of voices accompanied The Who during this part of the performance.

Other Performances at the 2012 Closing Ceremonies

Before The Who hit the stage, a variety of other popular British music artists also performed. Among them were The Kinks’ Ray Davies, Madness, Pet Shop Boys, One Direction, Elbow, Kaiser Chiefs, Muse, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran with Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and Genesis’ Mike Rutherford, Fatboy Slim, Jessie J, Spice Girls, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, Eric Idle, and Take That.

The ceremony also included recordings of The Beatles, John Lennon, David Bowie, the Bee Gees, Kate Bush, and more.

The Who’s Posted About the Olympics on Facebook

In honor of the end of the 2024 Olympics, The Who posted a note about the event on their Facebook page, as well as a link to their own Olympics performance.

The message reads, “Our heartfelt congratulations to all the wonderful athletes who took part in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games over the past two weeks and our especial congratulations to all those winners of gold, silver and bronze medals.”