The fireworks are out as Archie sings about love in your heart. There are loads of lights, a quick encore of the chorus, and there we go. Commonwealth Games 2018, did.
He’s singing about the world being a better place. My days, we need it to be.
Archie Roach is back. He is my new hero.
Our 11 ladies are thanked, and then boom! We’re done!
Someone is singing about Xanadu, but not in this manner, rather Grease.
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They’re showing no mercy here. Each and every song is going mitchila ad soif, from the beginning to the end. I’ve no idea when it’ll all finish but I’m on Celtic-Rangers in an hour and a quarter and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head has just started.
@DanielHarris "I’m not sure who Deb is, I’m afraid" ... Deborah Conway, who originally recorded It's Only The Beginning - the song just performed by Kate Ceberano.
— Stuart "Get Rid of the Nazis" O'Connor (@ScreenjabberStu) April 15, 2018
We see an overhead shot, which looks really nice – there’s lots of white light in a geometrically pleasing oval. Someone I’m afraid I don’t know is singing a song that I’m afraid I do – it’s Sia’s Alive. I’m pretty sure she is the worst live act I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen Ian Brown (thrice).
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“This for you Deb, from all the girls, this is your song!” hollers Kate. The intro sounds quite a bit like Friday I’m In Love but I doubt very much that it is. It isn’t. I’m not sure who Deb is, I’m afraid.
Here comes Kate Ceberano. WARNING: strobe lighting coming up soon.
Until about ten minutes ago, this ceremony was probably the best of its ilk that i’ve ever seen. It still is, but I think we’re firmly in watch other people enjoy themselves with no vicarious pleasure territory.
Samantha Jade is now singing. I must confess, I’m unfamiliar with her oeuvre.
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They’re singing Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves. It’s a tune.
It’s Edward. He’s proclaimed Gold Coast 2018 closed, but there’s plenty left – “11 awesome Aussie sisters” to begin with.
Oh good-oh, Prince Edward or Andrew is here and speaking.
We end with an aerial shot, the people spelling out #BRUM. They really do.
Now we’re watching live dancing from Victoria Square in Birmingham, set to ELO’s Mr Blue Sky. It’s pretty whatevz.
This is incendiary, inspiring stuff. She’s talking about Yemen, fists raised and she means it.
Amerah Saleh, a performance poet, is on – except the PA goes down for a few seconds at the start.
Now we’ve got Lady Sanity, another Brummie emcee.
A favourite Brummie.
We’re watching a video of Birmingham, “the beating heart of the UK”.
She’s talking about Birmingham’s youth and diversity, and the cultural, creative energy that can be guaranteed.
The countdown to Birmingham has now started. Anne Underwood is back, endorsing everything that previous speakers have said. Perhaps everyone should have done that, and then we could just get on with the fun.
This time, we’ve got Ian Metcalfe – yes, that’s the Ian Metcalfe – of Commonwealth Games England congratulating everyone. Everyone can now die happy.
Aaaaand another one. Even BBC are taking the mick.
Apparently there are more speeches than were let on about. Sam Coffa, president of the Australian Commonwealth Association is avin it.
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“Gold Coast, we were awesome!” declares the Mayor, before talking about history, ancestry, equality and pride.
While we hear another speech about Gold Coast being ace – “where life is beautiful one day and perfect the next” – check these snaps.
A young girl now has it – “it” being the Commonwealth flag – and smiling the smile of a thousand people, hands it over to the Mayor of Gold Coast, who passes it to various others, who passes it to Councillor Anne Underwood, Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
A flag is carried in, danced with, and folded.
It’s done. We’ve now got two ballet dancers, a singer and a guitarist. I recognise the tune and so do you, but I’m afraid all I can offer is it’s that one off the advert.
This is not a short speech. I’ll level with you: I’m not certain what it’s adding.
Good news for Boribi who, we learn, will carry on raising money for charity.
Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Federation, is now speaking. She jumps right in to present the award to the athlete of the games – it goes to David Liti, who won the heavyweight weight-lifting in dramatic style, and held himself like an absolute boss in the aftermath.
“Together we have made beautiful history.”
There’s also some tubthumping about how great the Gold Coast is, then onto athletes, games shapers and politicians.
The former talks about the integration of paralympics and he’s right – it’s been a roaring success.
The chief organiser and organisation chief ascend the duchen to talk about stuff.
And now a Yugambeh Future leader is speaking about how great it’s all been, and what a thrill it’s been for his people to hear the languages being spoken.
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We’re back in for some Aboriginal Australian music. A man whose name I’m afraid I don’t know is singing alone with a traditional percussion instrument.
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He’s on stage jigging about over decks, then performs brief scratching.
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“Please give it up for Mr Usain Bolt!”
“Are you ready to get excited?!” Er, shouldn’t we be already?
We’ve had our first fireworks, which is nice. And now we’ve got Anthony Callea, the medallion man previously detailed. He’s covering the Bee Gees You Should Be Dancing, and pauses to introduce the athletes, some of whom join him on stage and get stuck into a routine.
Guy Sebastian is now singing a song to thank the games shapers. Is it better to be a shaper than a maker? True story: my friend’s dad was a gamesmaker in 2012, and just last month, dressed up as one for the Jewish festival that requires fancy dress.
Ah, Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project. Check them here.
Now it’s Guy Sebastian, the first winner of Australian Idol and former fifth-place finisher in Eurovision.
An aerial shot shows us lots of pretty light, and an inoffensive choir are clustered doing their best. Then an Aboriginal Australian band burst onto stage – I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch all of their name but it’s the something something Treaty Project.
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There’s a fifties-style trio of male singers, and now a youth who reminds me of Peter Andre. He’s got a colourful shirt and medallion.
I think the cheese may be upon us. “Gold Coast, Gold Coast, here we are.”
This has been absolutely great so far. Rest assured, these are not words I supposed I’d type.
Solli Raphael is the name of the poet, and he’s 13. That was absolutely brilliant – here he is.
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We’re now enjoying performance poetry by a youngster. Using that word does not make me happy, but this is great - it’s about unity, Gold Coast and pleasant sentiments. “I’m here because of you, you’re here because of me.”
Archie Roach, what a man. Here’s Wikipedia on him.
“In 1956, Archie Roach’s family, along with the rest of the area’s Indigenous population, were re-housed on Rumbalara mission. Roach and his family subsequently moved to Framlingham, where his mother had been born.
While still a very young child, Roach and his sisters, along with the other Indigenous Australian children of the stolen generations, were forcibly removed from their family by Australian government agencies, and placed in an orphanage. After enduring two unpleasant placements in foster care Roach was eventually fostered by the Coxes, a family of Scottish immigrants in Melbourne. The Coxes’ eldest daughter, Mary, played keyboards and guitar in a local pentecostal church, and taught Roach the basics of both instruments. He was further inspired by his foster father’s record collection, which included old Scottish ballads and songs by Billie Holiday, the Ink Spots, the Drifters and Nat King Cole.
As a young man, Roach received a letter from an older sister, describing to him the events of their childhood. Angry and hurt, he left his foster home carrying only a guitar. Penniless, he travelled to Sydney and Adelaide, and spent time living on the streets, trying to make sense of his upbringing and find his natural family. He went through periods of alcoholism and despair, but also began to produce music. During this time Roach met his lifelong partner, and musical soulmate, Ruby Hunter. They started a family. Later in their marriage, their home became an open house for Aboriginal teenagers living on the streets.”
They are: Amy Shark, a local, in duet with Archie Roach, a much-loved Aboriginal Australian who suffered as so many of his people did and sings about how “You know I love this country”. Gosh, this is a lot, in the best possible way.
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It has the lyric let love rule, but it’s not Leonard A Kravitz. Anyway, it’s very nice, and if you know who the two singers are, let me know.
Here we go! Someone is singing about hearing the children crying.
Aha! We’re about to get going!
Nihal Arthenayake is reciting a poem about the Commonwealth. I do believe he just rhymed “high” with “sky”, but the shots and sentiments are nice.
We’re watching Rhys McClenaghan.
On it from the early days @McClenaghanRhys pic.twitter.com/1GkEb3OFUE
— Keith Bailie (@KeithJBailie) April 14, 2018
😟What's it like watching your son pick up a Commonwealth Games gold medal?🥇
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) April 8, 2018
Rhys McClenaghan's parents, Danny and Tracy, look on as the 18-year-old collected Northern Ireland's first medal at the Games
➡️https://t.co/GOHnfmWp2Y #GC2018 #GoTeamNI pic.twitter.com/BlhfXv4c5Y
When did people start doing up the top buttons of their shirts. Mark Foster is right there with that, while alongside him, Michael Johnson is just being normal and Chris
F
Hoy is bursting out of his medallion man job. Who is correct?
Your medal table:
I think things kick off in 22 minutes. But given there’s no one in the stadium, that seems hopeful.
As we speak: there’s some kind of ceremony rehearsal going on. A man with a mic is enjoying himself banging out instructions.
Scotland’s Callum Hawkins, who collapsed when leading the marathon, is sitting up in bed. Here’s a piece on him, with notes from experts on how long it took paramedics to reach him.
Michael Johnson is saying that of the three Olympics he did, Sydney was easily the most fun with the best atmosphere, and that Gold Coast has been great. If he thinks there’s good, just wait till he gets to Sparkbrook.
There’s a bout of netbavangelism going on on my telly, and rightly so. People spend plenty of time and money watching way less exciting sports.
That England netball team is something to admire. Even someone who doesn’t know the first thing about it — me, in other words — can see what a player Geva Mentor is. And the rest of them.
— Richard Williams (@rwilliams1947) April 15, 2018
Not such strong tracksuit game, but you can’t have everything. Jerusalem is playing.
We’re watching the medal ceremony. I know blogs of this ilk generally abhor happiness and rightly so, but the England are contagiously ecstatic. It’s absolutely brilliant.
BBC have just shown a rerun of the netball. “Stupendous,” says Tracey Neville.
Anyway, here’s yer Martha Kelners on that netball.
The next Games will be in Birmingham, England. I am not yet so desperate as to say something about the weather relative to Gold Coast, but do bear with me.
Sport!
Best game of netball I’ve ever watched. Ripper of a contest. Congratulations @EnglandNetball you put goosebumps on my goosebumps. #WOW #SHARETHEDREAM 🥇 pic.twitter.com/eRnN8Gj7RP
— Nia Jones (@niajones92) April 15, 2018
Look at those scenes.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 15, 2018
This is what gold means to England netball. #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/xTLYxqmzmJ
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Fair warning.
I am currently reading the media guide to the ceremony. It is detailed in scene numbers. Forreal.
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Preamble
Good morning, good afternoon, good night! It’s been yet another thrilling festival of horrifically talented and driven people performing ridiculous behaviour for our delectation. Thanks, ridiculously talented and driven people! But now it’s time to say later, so let’s relax and enjoy the fun....
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