Olympic opening ceremony

[Damon Baird]

... just been to the technical rehersal....

FANTASTIC!

They mentioned a few times about #keepthesecret (or something along those lines) so I will. All I wll say is it was a brillant experience. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the show well thought out. Music was great and the amount of people involved was amazing...

But...

Eat before you get there... queues for snack were looonnngg and chips and haddock (you can't have chips on their own!?) cost ?8.50!... crisps were ?1.50! beer was ?4.30 and a jacket potato ?6....

Getting back onto the tube @ Stratford took ages (getting held in crowds around Westfield) so be prepared for that. All well worth it though but not sure if it will come across as amazing on tv as it was as actually being present.

Well done organisers (of the show) loved it....!

If you have tickets to the opening ceremony... enjoy!

[silverfox]

"...but not sure if it will come across as amazing on tv as it was as actually being present..."

Shame, considering 3 billion people will be watching it on TV.

Too late for a rethink?

[Loz]

Glad you enjoyed it Damon. I was in the scene that started just after the 'The isles are full of noises' speech, but there are quite a few of us on the forum that were out there tonight.

It was an amazing experience finally getting to play in front of such a huge crowd. I actually think it will be even better on TV - so much is done for the overhead cams and the cams out there on stage, as you probably saw on the screens.

The hashtag is #savethesurprise and it seems to be holding up well.

[Alan Medic]

Ah go on.......tell us.Go on go on go on..........

[angelica fernandes]

The opening ceremony of the summer Olympics is in my opinion if not that of any other person; one of the greatest spectacles on earth as it is one nation demonstrating through a city all that its culture has to offer that distinguishes it from any other. Dances, music, customs delight spectators both present at the place of the events and those who are receiving the image on their TV sets or perhaps computer screens.

[Damon Baird]

Well done all those involved! It was amazing.

I hope you're right Loz about it looking as good or better on tv, I did see how many stadium cameras were zooming about. If it does look as good or better then its brillant that the experience will be shared by everyone watching... but being there certainly was fantastic!

I'll be obeying the hashtag (this post doesn't go against it does it?) and I think most people will as most people that were there are connected to the event in some way.

I should've taken my camera though! I read the no cameras rule on the invite only to find out that I was one of the very few people that actually respected the rule!

[Jeremy]

Damon - I heard that McDonald's are the only outlet allowed to sell chips on their own! They made an exception for fish & chips as it's considered a national dish.

But at least most people coming from overseas will benefit from the weak pound.

[Damon Baird]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> But at least most people coming from overseas will

> benefit from the weak pound.

Unless you're coming from a country that has the euro!

The Mc'D is huge, but wasn't open.

The fish and chips looked tasty though, I was just a bit tight to spend ?8.50 to find out how tasty!

[scotslass]

What an amazing night and the Olympic Stadium is just beautiful :-) Well done to everyone involved - Friday night is going to be spectacular!!

[Jeremy]

Damon Baird Wrote:

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> Unless you're coming from a country that has the euro!

Nah, the Euro is still pretty strong against the pound.

[Ladygooner]

Had a great night - and well done to all the performers - esp the ones from ED! Got home around midnight despite central line being down. Food and drink tasty - if a bit expensive but as expected. Only criticism was the serving staff - they looked like rabbits caught in headlights! They said they had had some training but I think actually serving people came as a surprise to them! You can take empty water bottles into the stadium and fill up for free at drinking taps.

[DJKillaQueen]

I was already really looking forward to watching it on TV......but even more so now from the posts above.

[maxxi]

After all the high-fiving and back-slapping enthusiasm on here by local performers I am expecting it to be spectacular - or have you all just been told to say that?

[titch juicy]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Damon Baird Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Unless you're coming from a country that has the

> euro!

>

> Nah, the Euro is still pretty strong against the

> pound.

Nah, the pound is the strongest it's been against the euro since the crash 3 years ago.

[Jeremy]

titch juicy Wrote:

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> Nah, the pound is the strongest it's been against

> the euro since the crash 3 years ago.

But still significantly lower than before the crash. If you're coming from Euro-land, UK is still relatively cheap.

[caz]

I am biased as I'm performing in it but it will be AMAZING !!!!!!!!!

[bsand]

SPOILER ALERT

If you can't wait some details here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/2012-london-opening-ceremony-not-secret_n_1695317.html

[scotslass]

Maaxi- I'm not a performer. I was there as a volunteer who won some tickets in a prize draw. FYI, I will be working hard in Greenwich park

[bsand]

There's a spat between the beeb and Mr Boyle over Huw Edwards helping us with some pionters - can I make a plea for an alternate Graham Norton p*ss take soundtrack for the minority sceptics.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9422502/Danny-Boyle-unhappy-over-plans-for-commentary-over-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html

[Applespider]

The food queues were incredibly long at 6.30 when my segment arrived at the stadium and stayed like that until about 7.30 when they suddenly tailed off. By the time the preshow was about to start, you could walk up and get served fairly easily (at least at the section I was loitering around)

Not all of it will be to everyone's taste but, I've watched it with costumes and lighting, three times now and I'm still spotting new things and enjoying it.

[Michael Palaeologus]

So, the actual ceremony. I am guessing it is a hybrid of the Teletubbies, Farming Today and a Conservative Party Political Broadcast.

Am I correct?

[bsand]

For the 27 million pound cost of the opening ceremony we could have had around 500 Irish festivals on Peckham Rye or one Irish Festival 500 times as big - just imagine that it would have been out of this world.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Why would you wish that one the world? Every city on the planet has an "Irish" pub, no need to rub salt in their wounds by foisting festivals on them.

[bsand]

Hopefully Danny Boyle will have included the Saturday night chucking out west end bacchanalia vignette in his British panorama - just heard French and German commentators on Nick Ferrari LBC - expresing a certain amount of schadenfreude in Brit transport issues, relief that Paris didn't get the games - methinks it's time to start waving ther flag.

A commentor on the Telegraph blog puts the case for quite forcefully ...

I believe that there is another rehearsal tonight.

It is clear that this will unleash another wave of hysterical diatribes from the curmudgeonly misanthropes who grasp every opportunity to express their contempt and loathing for everything associated with the Olympics.

It is also clear that they are expressing far more than contempt and loathing for the Olympics. They hate everybody and everything around them. They hate life - and, above all, they hate themselves.

Let us all hope that, for the next few weeks, they do as they say, by completely ignoring the Olympics, but add to that, by staying away from any discussions about the games.

For the next few weeks, it would be nice if those of us who - despite having many concerns about the excessive cost, the obscene commercialism, the hubris and all the other negatives, of which there are many - actually take an interest in the Olympics, could be left to enjoy watching the whole world coming together in friendship, in our capital city, and giving us all something to remember for the rest of our lives.

While we're enjoying what's on offer, the grumpy gits can amuse themselves with their computer games, self-flagellation (with barbed wire) and photographs of scantily clad schoolgirls.

That way, everybody will be happy - alth0ugh I believe our happiness will be much deeper.

[Marmora Man]

Will there be fireworks? I hope there'll be fireworks. I estimate that EDF'rs will be able to see the Olympic fireworks if they go high in the sky by looking, roughly, NNE (025 degrees) from One Tree Hill. Now all I need to know is what time to start looking?