meansoybean

Is there anyone else who feels kinda unclean after that craptacular 2010 Winter Olympics opener?

I’m not sure why they did it, but there were a lot well known (read: pop) Canadian singers performing songs that didn’t really have anything to do with the Olympics. Not to mention that very American-esque rendition of our national anthem. WTF. As I was watching, I could sense a compilation album in the wings, ready to be hocked. Today I got a newsletter from Chapters/Indigo and there it was. Big surprise. I suspect to see this in the bargain bin shortly after the Games are done. As a whole, the vocal performances felt out of place and meant to tell the world we make “good” music, here in Canada.

However, I must say, KD Lang’s take on “Hallelujah” was brilliant — probably the only great thing about the opener, besides the technology used to put on the show:

The mechanical error of the torch lighting at the indoor stadium was one thing, but the extremely awkward drive to the exterior cauldron, near Vancouver’s waterfront, was shameful. Gretzky, who was the chosen flame bearer for this last leg, looked uncomfortable. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone since security was obviously lacking — idiots were running along side the pick-up — and every few blocks or so you’d catch a glimpse of a lone police officer trying to hold back a crowd of people. Talk about a flop-ending to an already flat opening ceremony. Certainly, the opener in Beijing was a lot better and less commercial. They actually took the opportunity to tell a story about China, rather than just fill time with pop songs.