Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers Set for Olympics Closing Ceremony

The handoff of the Summer Olympic Games from Paris to Los Angeles just got quite a bit louder. Performances by Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are expected to be featured within the Closing Ceremony of the Paris games on Sunday, multiple sources told Variety. 

All three artists might be seen from Los Angeles in a combination of pre-taped and live performances. Producer Ben Winston, who is not any stranger to live music events because the producer of the Grammy Awards and CBS’ 2021 “Adele: One Night Only” special, is coordinating with French producers of the Closing Ceremony. 

Tensions are high around live music events this week after authorities in Austria thwarted a terrorist attack plot during Taylor Swift’s planned three-night stand in Vienna together with her “The Eras Tour.” Two high-ranking Individuals acquainted with the planning for the surprise L.A. concert stunt said security and crowd control has been a degree of concern for local officials even before the alarming news from Vienna. Security, which doesn’t come low-cost, may have to account for potential threats from air, land and sea in Los Angeles. In a nod to those heightened fears, Variety has agreed to withhold the placement of the performance.

Representatives for the Olympics and the musical artists declined to comment.

On the Closing Ceremony, the musical performances from Los Angeles are expected to follow a much-hyped stunt from Tom Cruise, news of which leaked last week. Cruise will jump on his motorcycle for a mean day of death-defying tricks in France, before tossing to a prerecorded package that may see him parachute down next to the enduring Hollywood sign. The L.A.-affiliated musicians will take it from there.

It’s not hard to figure why Eilish, Snoop and the Chili Peppers were chosen. Eilish, one in all the largest pop sensations of the past decade, is a native whose 2021 concert film was titled “Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles.” Snoop Dogg, who has turn out to be an absolute web darling in his role as on-air personality for NBC throughout the Paris Games, hails from Long Beach and is synonymous with West Coast rap. The Chili Peppers emerged out of L.A.’s punk scene within the Eighties. The band’s 1999 hit “Californication” is an anthem for the milk, honey, fruits and nuts that Los Angeles shelters. 

At the top of Sunday’s Closing Ceremony, Los Angles Mayor Karen Bass will accept the Olympic Torch and convey it home (possibly in her carry-on luggage?) as she returns from Paris. As of next week, the town of Los Angeles has three years and 11 months to prepare for the Summer Games, that are scheduled to run from July 14 to July 30 in 2028.

(Pictured: Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)