The transfer of the Summer Olympics from Paris to Los Angeles just got a lot louder. Performances by Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are expected to appear at the closing ceremony of the Paris Games on Sunday, multiple sources said. Variety.
All three artists can be seen from Los Angeles in a mix of pre-recorded and live performances. Producer Ben Winston, who is no stranger to live music events as producer of the Grammy Awards and CBS’ 2021 “Adele: One Night Only” special, is coordinating with French producers of the closing ceremony.
Tensions around live music events are high this week after authorities in Austria foiled a plan for a terrorist attack during Taylor Swift’s planned three-day stand in Vienna with her ‘The Eras Tour’. Two senior figures familiar with the planning for the surprise LA concert stunt said safety and crowd control had been a concern for local officials even before the alarming news from Vienna. Security, which isn’t cheap, will have to take into account potential air, land and sea threats in Los Angeles. As a nod to those heightened fears, Variety has agreed to withhold the location of the performance.
Representatives of the Olympics and the music artists declined to comment.
During the closing ceremony, musical performances from Los Angeles are expected to follow a much-hyped stunt by Tom Cruise, news of which leaked last week. Cruise hops on his motorbike for an average day of deadly tricks in France, before diving into a pre-recorded package that will see him skydive next to the iconic Hollywood sign. The LA affiliated musicians will take it from there.
It’s not hard to see why Eilish, Snoop and the Chili Peppers were chosen. One of the biggest pop sensations of the past decade, Eilish was born and raised whose 2021 concert film was titled “Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles.” Snoop Dogg, who has become an Internet darling in his role as an on-air personality for NBC during the Paris Games, hails from Long Beach and is synonymous with West Coast rap. The Chili Peppers emerged from LA’s punk scene in the 1980s. The band’s 1999 hit “Californication” is an anthem for the milk, honey, fruit and nuts that are Los Angeles.
At the end of Sunday’s closing ceremony, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will receive the Olympic torch and take it home (perhaps in her carry-on?) when she returns from Paris. Starting next week, the city of Los Angeles will have three years and eleven months to prepare for the Summer Games, which will take place from July 14 to July 30 in 2028.
(Photo: Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)