Mixed Responses to the Paralympics Closing Ceremony

Expectations were high for the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games and overall it seemed to create some mixed reactions.

Many people were concerned when it was announced that Coldplay were going to be performing saying that it seemed an inappropriate choice given the tone of the Paralympics.

The use of Coldplay’s music on TV, for instance when a contestant departs on The X Factor, has led many to associate it with a sense of pity.

Whilst many emotions have been stirred at the Paralympics, pity certainly isn’t one of them.

However, the staging did seem much better than at the Olympic closing ceremony. There was a lot of fire and steampunk costumes as well as vehicles constructed from old cars and farm machinery.

It felt distinctly less self-congratulatory than the previous closing ceremony and far less like a bad night at the Brit awards.

There were also excellent displays of ice skating, acrobats on motorbikes, aerialists twirling, interpretative dance and many other visual spectaculars.

Rihanna’s appearance was also well received, singing We Found Love whilst flying round the stadium on a giant swig was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

Overall, it has to be said that it was a fun evening and a good send off to the summer of sport.