There’s no gold medal for rocking, but that hasn’t stopped a long list of legendary acts from grabbing the Olympic spotlight.
The opening and closing ceremonies have become popular events for artists to flex their musical muscles. Oftentimes, organizers use them as a chance to highlight the host nation’s biggest celebrities on the global stage.
From a sheer star-power perspective, few Olympics can hold a candle next to the 2012 Summer Games in London. England’s rich rock history was on full display during both the opening and closing ceremonies, with Paul McCartney, the Who, Queen and Annie Lennox among the long list of performers.
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Bon Jovi and Kiss were part of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, while Canada rolled out for of its nation’s greatest performers – including Neil Young and Bryan Adams – during the 2010 Olympics.
More recently, French act Gojira made history when they became the first metal group to perform at the Olympics when they helped open the 2024 Games in Paris.
Interestingly, rock’s history at the Olympics could have been even grander. David Bowie, Elton John and Elvis Costello were among the artists who reportedly turned down the London Games, while Freddie Mercury had hoped to perform at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but tragically died a year before the event (his duet with opera singer Montserrat Caballe was still played during the opening ceremony).
Here’s a look at 25 artists who have rocked the Olympics.