The Paris Olympics has opened with a bang with a ceremony which was every bit as wild and baffling as it was awe-inspiring as Lady Gaga joined the spectacular

The first test for many Olympians is being a part of the opening ceremony and the Paris Olympics was no different. Viewers at home were also left with the feeling that they should be given a medal for enduring the spectacular that lasted hours and was every bit as wild and colourful as has now become expected of such events.

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening and closing ceremonies, dug deep into the history of France and brought to life some of the most controversial moments from La Belle France’s past as well as lighting up some of the historical buildings in the French capital as a backdrop for some spectacular set pieces.

Headless Marie Antoinette

One of the most incredible moments has to be a choir of headless Marie Antoinettes, carrying her own head, as they performed ‘Ah Ça Ira’, a revolutionary song, to a heavy metal band as this section then become a full-blown rock opera. This was one of the many moments during the ceremony that left viewers at home scratching their heads as to what was going on.

Headless Marie Antoinette was one of the most memorable moments of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony ( 
Image:
BBC)
One such moment was when dancers in red performed in front of one of the chateau-like buildings on the banks of the River Seine, which had red smoke billowing from the windows. This led to one viewer to react on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a screenshot of this performance and the caption: “Just turned on the Olympic opening ceremony and it’s like I’ve entered some kind of f****** hellish fever dream. What the s***is happening?”

Lady Gaga’s cabaret act

No ceremony that borders on becoming one of the subversive spectacles of recent Olympics could be complete without the appearance of singer Lady Gaga. She began the ceremony with a set that paid homage to cabaret icon Zizi Jeanmarie. Gaga went to the actress’ performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965, as she sang ‘Mon Truc En Plumes’ in French on a golden staircase alongside dancers with pink feather pompoms.

Lady Gaga performing ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
As Lady Gaga is known for her eclectic costumes, one viewer felt there should have been more attention given to a dress celebrating a traditional French breakfast: “More attention needs to be given to this croissant dress.”

Despite there being some ‘different’ moments in the opening ceremony, there was still time for it to take another turn towards strangeness as the ‘ Obscurité – Darkness’ part of the spectacle saw John Lennon’s Imagine being performed by singer Juliette Armane with Sofian Pamart on piano, with them both surrounded by fire on a floating platform. The song ended with “We all stand and call for peace” flashing across the screen as a LED dove was lit on bridge across the Seine.

Céline at the Eiffel

Celine Dion made an unexpected return to live performing ( 
Image:
POOL/Olympic Broadcasting Servic)DON’T MISS
Iconic Canadian singer Céline Dion made a triumphant return to live performing as she sang Édith Piaf’s famous “Hymne à L’amour,” under the lights of the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower. It was her first performance for nearly two years after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, which also affected her ability to sing.