The 2024 Paris Olympics are upon us, with events that began on July 24 and a full-bore extravaganza of an opening ceremonies event on Friday, July 26. At the four-hour kickoff to the politically loaded sporting event, crowds—many huddled under ponchos and umbrellas to avoid a nearly event-long downpour—watched as Joker: Folie à Deux co-star Lady Gaga kept her French-language vibes going with a pre-recorded performance along the Seine River, French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura sang alongside the country's Republican Guard marching band, and Celine Dion made a hotly anticipated appearance for its grand finale.

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony began with Gaga's pink feather fan-bedecked performance of “Mon Truc en Plumes” as a tribute to the late French singer and dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) published shortly after her pre-taped performance was broadcast, the Top Gun balladeer wrote “Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music—I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris.”

To prepare for the performance, “I studied French choreography that put a modern twist on a French classic,” Gaga wrote. “I rehearsed tirelessly to study a joyful French dance, brushing up on some old skills—I bet you didn’t know I used to dance at a ’60s French party on the Lower East Side when I was first starting out! I hope you love this performance as much as I do. And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to sing in honor of you—it’s a gift I’ll never forget!”

What followed was a spectacle that might have been better in person than on TV, if you agree with Deadline's assessment. Nakamura, singing her hit song “Djadja,” marched from the famous French school, the Académie Française. In a waterborne performance, scenes from Western history, including (to the dismay of some on the Right) an apparent drag reimagining of the Last Supper, were acted out. A beheaded Marie Antoinette sang along to the French Revolution-era song “Ah! Ça Ira.”

Oh, and athletes from the participating countries trooped in via boat, after a ceremonial lighting of the Games' torch by judo champ Teddy Riner and track star Marie-José Pérec.

After hours of arrivals, speeches, and song, the pinnacle: Celine Dion, standing on the Eiffel Tower, sang in public for the first time since before her diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022. The Dior-clad French American singer performed Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à L’Amour” (“Hymn to Love"), a song with its own sports connection: Piaf penned it about her lover, French middleweight champ Marcel Cerdan, shortly before his death in a plane crash in 1949.