World Cup Brazil 2014 Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

Quick run for the hills

In South Africa they had the awful Vuvuzela’s and Shakira, but very little else. Through the whole tournament of 2010 I had seen very little or heard anything at all that might signify that the World Cup was on the continent of Africa for the first time ever. It was a terrible advert for African football. Compared to the amazing scenes in Korea and Japan in 2002, or the fan zones of 2006 in Germany. The World Cup atmosphere of 2010 will only be remembered for fans who would rather blow a trumpet than actual look at the game. Pity.

Korean Red Devils

So will Brazil be different? You would like to think so, but Shakira is back with Pitbull for the World Cup Song, “La La La”. Not only did they not get a Brazilian to headline, they also are singing in English and Spanish. Why does everything have to be diluted into corporate nonsense? Pitbull? Really?

So I probably wont be looking at the opening ceremony. The music might be trash, and I couldn’t really stomach seeing Blatter and the gang guffawing in the prawn sandwich seats.

But to be fair, generally opening ceremony’s be they in Olympics or World Cups are a bit dull. The best for me was definitely the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. They had an open air concert, with a good combo of traditional and modern music. The worst was Beijing, everything was faked even the fireworks. Makes you wonder why they even bothered.

Pavarotti

As for music, surely the best ever was Pavarotti and his rendition of “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini‘s Turandot. Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, “The Three Tenors” of 1990, will linger long in the memory.

The Open Ceremony, Brazil 2014? Nah, will pass. The football should be more than enough to get me in the mood. But if I did miss something be sure to tell me!

Pavarotti with the best World Cup song EVER