It’s been an exciting few weeks watching the 2024 Summer Olympics play out in Paris, particularly if you’re a fan of professional breakdancing (aka breaking), Lady Gaga, the French metal band Gojira, and Céline Dion, who made a much-anticipated return to live performance at the Eiffel Tower during last month’s opening ceremony. But all good things must come to end, and today they have, with Phoenix and Air (both French bands, naturally) closing out the Olympics in a ceremony put together by artistic director Thomas Jolly and executive director Thierry Reboul.
Performing six songs over 17 minutes — styled as a “mixtape,” as Thomas Mars told the New York Times — Phoenix were joined by Air, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, Kavinsky and Angèle, and VannDa.
Phoenix kicked off the set with “Lisztomania” before inviting other artists to the stage. With Kavsinky and Angèle they performed “Nightcall” (from the Drive soundtrack) and with Cambodian rapper VannDa they did old Phoenix faves “If I Ever Feel Better”/”Funky Squaredance.” Weeks after Mars joined Air on the roof of the Paris Aéroport for their first performance of “Playground Love” together in 20 years, they did the Virgin Suicides classic again, with Koenig helping on guitar. And Phoenix and Koenig did their collab “Tonight” before the set closed with “1901.”
“We are infinitely happy to have had the chance to celebrate with all the athletes and the entire world at the Closing of the Olympic Games in our beloved city of Paris,” Phoenix said in a statement. “It was a wonderful moment to have been invited to take the stage with our friends from France and around the world, honoring the French spirit and remaining true to our motto: Liberté, Égalité, Phoenix! We are thrilled to both pass the baton to the Paralympics athletes and to Los Angeles for the forthcoming 2028 games.”
Watch Phoenix be swarmed by Olympic athletes below.
olympics had phoenix at their closing ceremony indie sleaze is back in full force omg pic.twitter.com/61R3YD69HU
— tom hardy’s slutty blonde wig (@jewelbundrn) August 11, 2024
@retrosoundsandfunnystuff #ClimaQuenteCabeçaFria #olympics #closingceremony #phoenix #1901 #jimmyfallon #parisolympics2024 ♬ 1901 – Instrumental – Phoenix
Phoenix, Air, and Vampire Weekend. This portion of the 2024 Olympic Closing Ceremonies was designed specifically for emo kids circa 2008.#Olympics #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/U84PvNJeaF
— B in the Netherlands (@BintheNL) August 11, 2024
Wahhh, watching the Olympics closing ceremony and see Vannda come out was crazy performing alongside Phoenix!!!
Cambodian based rapper! Khmer representation! pic.twitter.com/ChMTWZzQsa
— Jarney (@jarneysoak) August 11, 2024
PHOENIX, TROP FORT!!! 🎸🎶🇫🇷 This closing ceremony feels like a mix of a Jean Michel Jarre concert and an ’80s Holiday episode with Cliff Mitchellmore! 🤪Leon Marchand is getting a shoutout, but he’s still not at the venue—where is he? #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/BxvTRXjWWi
— Bites Of Net (@BitesOfNet) August 11, 2024
Phoenix x Vampy Weekend’s Ezra sing Tonight! omg omg i live only about an hour away from stade de france by 🚆 i SHOULD have been there! quelle honte!! #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/1tVfGRIelV
— Resty Woro Yuniar (@restyworo) August 11, 2024
Olympics Closing Ceremony 2024. Merci Paris!!! 🇫🇷🇧🇪🇰🇭🇸🇪🇺🇸🏴☠️🌍🎉
📷 Roger Do Minh pic.twitter.com/nDFh23GSy2
— Phoenix (@wearephoenix) August 11, 2024
Also at the ceremony Yseult covered “My Way” and Benjamin Bernheim sang “Hymne à Apollon” while Alain Roche played a vertically hanging piano.
Alain Roche plays suspended in the airs, with lyric singer Benjamin Bernheim.
They interpret the Delphic Hymn to Apollo, the oldest notated music of the Western canon, written by Athenaeus, son of Athenios. pic.twitter.com/SmVquZ39bL
— Leo Caesaris (@leo_caesaris) August 11, 2024