As someone who had previously seen 3 out of the 4 performers (Paulo nutini, Snow Patrol and Duran Duran) I was still psyched to get hold of tickets to the opening ceremony celebration in Hyde Park. As a huge fan of major sporting events I was desperate to get hold of tickets so I could be part of the olympic mania in London.
With the rain holding out and the sun trying to shine, things were looking good. First thing that I noticed, which surprised me slightly, was how much older the crowd in Hyde Park seemed to be compared to crowds at other concerts and festivals I have been to.
First to kick off the night was Scotland representative Paulo Nutini. I am a fan of Paulo Nutini, however his performance was somewhat bland and did nothing to warm the crowd up. Having fallen off the radar slightly over the last year, Paulo Nutini seemed to offer nothing new or exciting. Even when he introduced his new singles, it was not enough to persuade the crowd to stand and move closer to the stage.
Next on was England representative, Duran Duran. Singing some of their popular hits "Notorious," "Ordinary World," and "Wild Boys," the atmosphere finally began to pick up. To add even more excitement to their performance, the crowd were treated to the spectacular sight of the Red Arrows flying past - leaving red, white and blue trails in the sky. A definite sweet moment for all.
After the flypast of the Red Arrows, the night for me kicked into gear and improved greatly. With an hour break before the next act, all eyes in Hyde Park were fixed on the big screens for the start of the opening ceremony. Huge cheers and applause erupted when the Queen and James bond scene came on. After the superb performance by Emeli Sande in the opening ceremony, the screen cut off and out came Wales representative; Stereophonics.
I have never seen the Stereophonics live before, but being a great fan of theirs I was intrigued to see how they would be. After a shaky start, with little interaction between Kelly Jones and the crowd, something needed to happen. Thankfully Stereophonics kicked into gear, and by the end of their set they had won the crowd over. Finishing their set with "Dakota," the sold out crowd (myself included) was soon singing and cheering along enthusiastically.
For me though, the highlight of the evening was the fabulous performance given by Snow Patrol. I love love love this band!! Having been previously impressed by their live performances I was confident this would be no different. Singing some of their greatest hit singles "Open Your Eyes," "Run," and "Chocolate," the band were in their element, and the crowd were loving it. To make things even better, while singing "Chasing Cars" the huge screens switched over to show the GB olympic team walking out during the opening ceremony - cue rapturous applause and cheering! Other songs that Snow Patrol performed were "Called Out Into The Dark," "This Isn't Everything You Are," and "Just Say Yes."
As Snow Patrol concluded their set, the screens switched back to the live opening ceremony and we were treated to the final scene of the night - lighting of the Olympic Cauldron...cue more cheering/screaming and whooping!!
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Although I feel this, I would have to admit I put it down to the atmosphere rather than the live performances. Still, if either Stereophonics or Snow Patrol tour again in the future, I will certainly look at buying tickets.
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