Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Topics: Olympics, Los Angeles, Billie Eilish, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, News, Music
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Olympics, Los Angeles, Billie Eilish, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, News, Music
Those who watched the Olympic closing ceremony might have notice a few questionable variants.
Last night (August 11) marked the end of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and the Olympic torch was passed on to Los Angeles ahead of the South California city hosting the Games in 2028.
For the ceremony, Hollywood legend Tom Cruise skydived from the Eiffel Tower in true Mission Impossible fashion before scenes shot in LA were aired.
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Billie Eilish, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chili Peppers all performed for fans in what appeared to be a live-performance - but it's been reported that it was actually record a day prior.
Meanwhile, the palm tree-filled set looked to be filmed at LA's famous Venice Beach; however the performances took place at Long Beach instead.
Reporting on this, the Los Angeles Times wrote that on Saturday morning a section of Long Beach was 'wrapped in a privacy tent' as 'word had gotten out that they were filming part of the Olympics closing ceremony'.
Now, people have raised questions about why it was a private event rather than allowing thousands of fans enjoy performances from some of music's biggest stars.
Someone wrote on Twitter: "Really liked it, BUT why did #la28 have a private event?? They could’ve easily had 10s of thousands show up for something like this and truly welcome Olympics in grand style. On tv the crowd looked small and lame. Like La doesn’t care…"
Commenting on a clip of Red Hot Chili Peppers' performance, another wondered: "Why are there only like 200 people in the crowd?"
Elsewhere on TikTok, someone who lives near the set shared a clip of them filming.
She captioned the video: "Would’ve been a lot cooler if they allowed Snoop Dogg’s real fans to pull up for this staged Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony commercial but as they say in Paris, 'c’est la vie'."
The social media user went on the allege that all those in the crowd were 'paid actors'.
Pointing out the group of people casually playing volleyball a few feet away from the stage, the TikToker insisted that they were paid actors too.
Someone asked: "Are the volleyball players actors? That doesn’t seem realistic to have a few people playing beach volleyball feet away from a concert performance."
"Love the dudes just playing volleyball like nothing to see here just another day in LA," a different person pointed out.
LA 2028 has been approached for comment amid the criticism.