Olympic opening ceremonies can so often come off as overchoreographed, incomprehensible, or just plain weird. But others just give off a feeling. A good one, even. Especially coming off a quartet of previous ones that had their own set of challenges, from temperatures in South Korea, in 2018, so frigid that the name “PyeongChang” still generates literal chills to a fanless affair Tokyo in 2021, thanks to COVID: Japanese citizens sat outside the barriers of the Olympic Stadium the night of the opening ceremony, just for a glimpse. They would get no closer. Beijing in 2022 was another soulless COVID Games, marked more by frequent testing and isolation protocols than victories on the field. Paris had the fine idea to stage its ceremonies along the Seine. Too bad it rained on that parade.
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So on Olympic opening-ceremonies night, it’s nice to be back in business, full stop. It’s been awhile.
Stamped across the streets and stadium of this Italian hub of history, money, and fashion is an Olympic slogan: “It’s Milano. It’s Your Vibe.” For a night at least, that held. You can start with the weather: the night was clear, dry—it rained on and off all week in Milan—and a crisp 40-ish degrees. The performers paid homage to Italy’s musical traditions, with three great operatic composers, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini, appearing on the stage as mascot-like characters. (Near the end, they returned to groove to club music.) Three giant tubes descended from the top of San Siro Stadium: was that toothpaste? No, paint tubes dispensing with primary colors of blue, red, and yellow, in honor of Italy’s art history. Mariah Carey sang “Volare” near the top of the show. Sabrina Impacciatore, the Italian actress who starred as an uptight and comedically direct hotel manager in the second season of The White Lotus, can really dance. Andrea Bocelli, as usual, was brilliant and moving. He shook the place.
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