Bizarre moments from 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony got off to a bumpy start, as rain doused fans and competitors alike as the Seine River became the center of the world’s attention.

That’s the image before it all got underway. From Peyton Manning wearing a playbook on his forearm to a piano being engulfed in flames, the French capital offered some unforgettable and at times questionable moments.

Mysterious torch bearer

The ceremony was put in motion by a prerecorded video of former French soccer player and current team manager Zinedine Zidane. With a fencing-type mask on his face, “Zizou” dodged his way through Parisian traffic donned in an all black suit with accompanying white blouse.

He handed off a torch to a group of children before the broadcast went live with a wide shot of the Seine.

Zinedine Zidane played a starring role in the #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony intro video, carrying the Olympic torch. 🇫🇷⚽️ pic.twitter.com/j3Wb0DsoqN

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) July 26, 2024

Peyton Manning thinks he still plays QB

The 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was sporting one of his quarterback wrist playbooks over his navy blue jacket sleeve. When fellow NBC co-host Kelly Clarkson addressed the oddity, Manning jokingly said he had written down notes on “all 200 countries, all 10,000 athletes” to compete over the next few weeks.

Now Peyton Manning just took me out 😂😂😂#OpeninCeremony #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/JADcGBdnbu

— KT ⁶𓅓 (@T_RA1N) July 26, 2024

Lady Gaga surprised as opening musical act

The pop phenomenon was not even listed on the program given to the media ahead of time, but she certainly was a spectacle. Masked by flamingo-like wings, Lady Gaga slowly descended golden steps and began her rendition of “Mon Truc en Plumes,” a song by French singer Zizi Jeanmaire.

Though the performance was prerecorded, the 13-time Grammy award winner still dazzled with her typical dramatic flare and grand presence.

I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year. I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing such a special French song—a song to honor the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and… pic.twitter.com/FMNyiosHUR

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) July 26, 2024

The opening ceremony wouldn’t be complete without…metal rock?

Local metal rock band Gojira put on a head-banging performance from the overlooking balconies of the nearby Conciergerie, a historic site where Queen Marie Antoinette was held captive during the French Revolution.

Oh, and canons of fire shot off periodically to really drive home the theme of France’s war-torn history.

Gojira, a leading French heavy metal band, became the first hard rock act to perform in an Olympic opening ceremony when it did a metal version of “Ah! Ça Ira,” a song that was popular during the French Revolution. Follow updates. https://t.co/uqaeUpGvFz pic.twitter.com/8ZyJXbpoTG

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 26, 2024

Snoop Dogg soaks it all in

Despite the downpour, legendary rapper Snoop Dogg did not let it bother his high spirits. He was seen dancing under an umbrella while rocking sunglasses and the classic Team USA Ralph Lauren suit jackets.

The American pop culture star was even given a shoutout by Algerian-French rapper Rim’K, who was one of 3,500 actors, dancers and musical performers to take the stage Friday night.

Snoop Dogg told NBC broadcast hosts his opening ceremony experience was “like a drive-in movie, baby.”

A little rain never stopped Snoop Dogg. 😮‍💨 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/nlMDTlYnfV

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024

Musical number given a fiery twist

Like at the 2012 and 2020 Summer Olympics, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine” was a focal point of Paris’ opening ceremony. This time, however, not even being the first ceremony to take place outside of a stadium was enough. The instrument of choice, a piano, was set ablaze after just a few opening notes.

The two performing artists, Sofianne Pamary on the piano and Juliette Armanet as the vocalist, made an unforgettable impression on viewers worldwide. Just not for the reasons — an adequate rendition — they may have wanted.

Social media was on fire (metaphorically this time), as various users suggested Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys take notes for their future concerts.

Please @AGT, light a piano on fire during the live shows. #AGT #Olympics #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/RyANkeGRe4

— AGT Time Podcast (@agttimepod) July 26, 2024

Horses can fly now

A silver-casted mechanical horse and hooded mannequin rider made their way across the Seine. If this opening ceremony wasn’t already a trip, this brought it up another level.

Draped in an Olympic flag, the horse appeared to be striding for quite some time before the broadcast transitioned to a graphic segmenting through past Olympic sites and years.

Once under a bridge and out of view, a real horse and rider manifested themselves in front of the cameras and a golden Eiffel Tower. It parted the Red Sea of onlookers bearing each country’s flag. Quite the spectacle, to say the least.

The horse on the Seine was spectacular! 🐎…

… and the transition from water to land was nicely done. #OlympicGames #OlympicOpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/xYSJWq6rDc

— Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE, FRSA (@KennethTharp) July 26, 2024

The Associated Press, Variety and NPR contributed to this report.

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