Last night NBC axed performances by The Who, Ray Davies and Muse during the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony in order to air their new sitcom Animal Practice commercial free.
The “party of the year” ended after British artists the Spice Girls, Fatboy Slim, Annie Lennox, Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye, Ed Sheeran, Madness and the Pet Show Boys, Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and One Direction took the stage.
The show entitled “A Symphony of British Music” spanned decades of classic British music, including archival performances from John Lennon and Freddie Mercury. The Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir sang “Imagine” as a video of Lennon calling for peace was shown. While footage of Mercury performing “Day-O” at a 1986 concert in Wembley was broadcast, his former bandmate, Queen guitarist Brian May, walked on stage to sing “We Will Rock You” with Jesse J.
Unfortunately, Americans were unable to watch The Who perform their hits “Baba O’Reilly” and “My Generation” during the ceremony. The band played a multiple-song set that included covers of classic British songs and cultural references.
The four hour long show ended with Brazil previewing themselves as host of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
