Gojira Put On An Unprecedented Heavy Spectacle At The Olympics

Highlighted - The musicians from the Heavy Metal band Gojira performed at the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The photo was taken by Zhang Yuwei and distributed by AFP.

Gojira's show at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony is becoming a very important moment in the band's history, and also a groundbreaking moment for heavy music. Just one day before their intense and heavy performance, French news sources were starting to announce that Gojira would be playing at the opening ceremony alongside big names like Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura, and Celine Dion. This news was causing a lot of excitement in the metal music world, and as I had mentioned earlier, Gojira became the first metal band to ever perform at the Olympics.

However, there was limited information available about the upcoming collaboration between Gojira and opera singer Marina Viotti. It was unclear how Gojira would contribute musically and visually to the performance. It wouldn't be surprising if Gojira played a more supportive role or stayed in the background, considering that metal music is not widely appreciated in mainstream circles and often faces negative stereotypes in the mainstream spotlight.

With that being said, Gojira didn't hold back and gave the most incredibly intense performances ever seen at a worldwide mainstream event. They performed 'Ah! Ça Ira,' a well-known song from the French Revolution, with opera singer Marina Viotti and a group of figures symbolizing the beheaded Queen Marie Antoinette. From the beginning, the intense visuals set the stage for the rebellious metal chaos that followed.

The combination of fireworks and Gojira's unique guitar techniques and fast rhythms was just as impressive as their live performances. Opera singer Marina Viotti also did a great job performing with the band, even though her time on stage was short. Surprisingly, most of the attention seemed to be on Gojira during the show. Being set against the backdrop of the Conciergerie, a historic French prison and royal residence, added to the band's epic performance.

After Gojira's performance at the opening ceremony, both metal fans and mainstream news outlets were extremely impressed. USA Today even said that Gojira "stole the show." This has solidified Gojira as one of the top bands in heavy music. Thanks to the Olympics and opening ceremony director Thomas Jolly for giving Gojira and extreme music such a big platform. Gojira is now the first metal band to perform at the Olympics, making history and delivering one of the best opening ceremony performances ever seen at the Games.

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