With all the political games that have been playing out over the last few weeks, I genuinely lost track of the fact that the Paris Olympics begin on Friday. But they are indeed upon us! I unabashedly admit that I’m a total sucker for the opening ceremonies. The pageantry! The storytelling! Well, Paris is really out to dazzle us this year with a certain je ne sais quoi, as their ceremony will be held outside across the city and in a flotilla on the Seine. How avant garde! I hope it doesn’t rain on the parade! (And I really hope they got that bed bug situation under control.) As per usual, most of the production is being kept under wraps. But the world could not ignore when two icons landed in the city of light, in this of all weeks. So now everyone is asking: are Lady Gaga and Celine Dion part of the big show?! C’est magnifique!
Is Lady Gaga going to perform at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Paris on July 26?
Just days before the biggest sporting event in the world kicks off, Gaga was seen arriving in the French capital. The award-winning singer, who famously sang Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose in “A Star is Born,” and performed the song during her Las Vegas residency Jazz and Piano, is rumored to be rehearsing her performance for the Opening Ceremony. R&B star Aya Nakamura and Celine Dion are also rumored to be performing.
For the first time in history, the Opening Ceremony is set to take place outside of a stadium and will be held along the Seine River that runs through the city. The nautical show will be following 85 boats carrying athletes from each Olympic delegation on a four-mile parade. Kicking off from the Pont d’Austerlitz and culminating at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the ceremony will showcase the city’s historical landmarks and will bring together 3,500 actors, dancers and musical performers.
The show has been designed by theatre director Thomas Jolly, best known for hit rock-opera musical “Starmania”. In an interview with the Associated Press, Jolly remained tight-lipped about the performers saying, “All I can tell you is that it will be very meaningful for the artists that will perform.”
And then Variety reported on Celine’s arrival:
Celine Dion looks set to make her return to the stage at the Olympic Games, and it’s rumored to be during the opening ceremony on Friday. It will mark the pop legend’s first performance since halting her touring schedule and stepping away from the spotlight after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in December 2022.
Dion arrived in Paris on Monday at the Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées, where Lady Gaga, another potential opening ceremony headliner, is also staying. Specific details about Dion’s performance are being kept under wraps.
Celine performed at the Atlanta opening ceremony in 1996, but this appearance would be no less significant, if the rumors are true. As noted by Variety, Celine hasn’t performed in two years due to her SPS diagnosis, which was part of why her fans and colleagues gave her such a warm reception when she presented at the Grammys this year. But to mark her return to singing at the Olympic Games? Now that’s a power move worthy of the Queen of Power Ballads. My prediction: Celine will be stationed at the Eiffel Tower, while Gaga will perform on one or more boats (and yeah, my sources gave me the nod that the Lady is in the lineup!). I love Gaga, but I actually hope she doesn’t sing “La Vie en Rose.” I don’t think the French would take kindly to an American performing that on French soil, non? Why not instead treat us to some of the new music she’s been cooking up? And while I’m here throwing out suggestions for free, I beseech the IOC to put a moratorium on John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It’s a stunning, singular song. But it’s been more than overused at Olympic ceremonies. Give it a rest, let it be! (I know, I know; just watch Celine and/or Gaga sing “Imagine” come Friday, le sigh…)
Photos credit: Jasmine Aissaoui/INSTARimages, Aissaoui Nacer/Backgrid and Getty