On principle, the Olympics are always full of incredible sights. In addition to the feats of world-class athleticism — especially with this year's introduction of breaking and Australian sensation Raygun stealing the show — and Céline Dion's big comeback, it was certainly a marvel to see Gen Z athletes' confusion as their millennial competitors lost their minds the second Phoenix started performing "Lisztomania" at the closing ceremony.
Like most incredible things, however, it almost didn't happen. In a new interview with Vulture, frontman Thomas Mars revealed an unexpectedly large variable they had to account for in the logistics of Phoenix performing at the Paris games: bees.
"We were considered for the opening ceremony at first. We only found out we were doing this three weeks ago," the musician told the publication's Devon Ivie. "It sounds really crazy. We told the people in charge that if they needed us, we were available. It's the Olympics — we were into it. They reached out to a lot of musicians, and there were so many unknown factors. They asked us about the closing ceremony pretty late. We were almost there in terms of doing the opening."
Mars continued of their opening ceremony plans, "They thought of putting us on the rooftop of the Louvre for a performance," adding that Phoenix recorded their last album, 2022's Alpha Zulu, in the museum. "But there were bees on the roof. People were concerned about the bees. There were a lot of hives to harvest honey. These are the things you don't know about Paris. There are certain places that contain a whole ecosystem of bees."
With the bees having thwarted their plans, the band obviously got their redemption arc when they were invited to perform at the closing ceremony instead, and brought Air and Kavinsky along for the ride.
"This is for sure the most make-it-or-break-it moment we've had as a band. We've never had more pressure or people watching us," Mars reflected of the buzz-worthy moment. "But it still somehow felt like a club show. We were most nervous that it would be sterile and cold, but the athletes turned this into a joyful moment."
The closing ceremony also included the Olympics' handover to Los Angeles, CA, which will host the 2028 games, and performances from Angelenos the Red Hot Chili Peppers (did you know they were from there?) and Billie Eilish.