16 Days of competition went by, records were broken and many great memories were made in one of the world’s most important sporting events. For the closing ceremony we had a much more pop-y, 90’s-centric lineup that still made for a great show. Check below for the Dopeness Factor of many one of the performers of last night’s ceremony.
Pet Shop Boys- “West End Girls”
Riding around in weird, orange cones? Yup! These guys looked pretty cool and sounded great. Great start to the ceremony.
Dopeness Factor: 
One Direction-
I’m no fan of their music, but I can see how it appeals to young girls. The voices sounded well but they didn’t bring the typical “boy band” energy I expected (they’re no BSB or N*Sync).
Dopeness Factor:
John Lennon- “Imagine”
Is it bias if I give this a “Macho Man” seeing how he’s my favorite artist of all time? Nah. Despite the extra cheesy parts with having kids singing, those same kids wearing all white while also signing the words to (of course) “Imagine,” the performance was still great. “Imagine” is one of the most important, heartfelt, emotional and beautiful songs of the modern era and John Lennon is, arguably, the most important music artist of the 20th Century, so his inclusion was a no-brainer. A special, remastered version of the song was played for the public for the first time and it was just as great as you can imagine. The song ended with a sky view of how the performers had formed Lennon’s face. Simply, awesome.
Dopeness Factor:
George Michael- “Freedom”
The man’s still got the sort of swag that made him famous in the 80’s and 90s. “Freedom” was a big hit when it came out and it was fun seeing/hearing a live rendition of it.
Dopeness Factor:
Beady Eye- Wonderwall
It’s the Olympics! Why couldn’t the guys (brothers!) from Oasis just leave their problems aside for a bit to put on a great performance for the world to enjoy? Instead we got Liam Gallagher and his new band Beady Eye (technically Oasis minus Noel G.) belted an “OK” version of the classic “Wonderwall.” Highlight of the performance? The beautiful and awesome Lolo Jones singing to the camera!
Dopeness Factor:
Annie Lennox-
80’s British diva went all out with her performance, getting a positively creepy but cool look to it.
Dopeness Factor:
Russell Brand- I Am The Walrus (The Beatles)
As you may know by now, I love The Beatles. I loved the fact that yet another Beatles classic was included in the ceremony, but to have Russell Brand lip-synch to it for the sake of highlighting the era of Psychedelia was a bit unnecessary.
Dopeness Factor:
Fatboy Slim- “The Rockafeller Skank”
The original DJ superstar put the ceremony in partying mode with his smash hit “The Rockafeller Skank” and a giant, glowing octopus! The “funk soul brotha” did an amazing job with his performance and even emceed for the newer acts like Tinie Tempah and Jesse J.
Dopeness Factor:
Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz, Jessie J
Modern hits by these 3 were performed individually while riding around the inside of the Olympic stadium in what appeared to be Bentleys. Nothing all that special here, at least until they all got together onstage to cover the Bee-Gees.
Dopeness Factor:
Spice Girls- “Wannabe” & “Spice Up Your Life”
These ladies were on top of the world in the 90s. They lit up the place and still sounded alright. Added plus: they still look pretty great and London Mayor Boris Johnson was jamming extra hard to them!
Dopeness Factor:
Eric Idle- “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life”
Monty Python is one of the most important comedy acts ever. It was great to see Eric Idle onstage belting out “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” surrounded by dancing nuns (some dropping their knickers) and the Bollywood-worthy dance number in the middle of it. For good reason, this has been said to be the most British moment of the ceremony (and possibly the entire Olympics).
Dopeness Factor:
Freddie Mercury- We Will Rock You (intro)
Another British legend who’s no longer with us but was present via video projection at the Closing Ceremony. The quintessential frontman got a whole stadium to sing along with him. Now that’s a true badass.
Dopeness Factor:
Ray Davies- “Waterloo Sunset”
The Kinks were that other band that were a big hit in the 60’s that weren’t The Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Naturally, they had to be present in some sort of way in the closing ceremony, so lead singer Ray Davies performed their 1967 hit “Waterloo Sunset.” The song beautifully.
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Dopeness Factor:
The Who- “Baba O’ Riley,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Listening to You” and “My Generation”
NBC totally messed up on this one. The Who are one of the most recognizable and legendary groups of the 20th Century, so it made no sense when NBC skipped on these guys (as they did with Ray Davies, Muse and Kate Bush) to air a preview episode of their new sitcom “Animal Practice” instead. The Who shows everyone how much Britain rocks and it gives us all a good preview to how they’ve still got it for their upcoming North American tour.
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Dopeness Factor:
*Shout-outs to Buzzfeed, SB Nation and Perez Hilton for the gifs and video footage.
