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Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony Live Chat


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I guess once the Tower Block implosion idea was scratched they were left without any real show stopper.

Good point, I'd forgotten about that. It felt like a lot of nice filler but nothing astonishing. That would've been it.

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That was the first time I've watched a CG OC live and it just seemed so light and refreshing compared to what we see at the Olympic Games. That baton episode would have been so overblown if it had happened in an Olympic context, yet here everybody just seemed to take it in stride. The use of the dogs as placard bearers was really cute. It was a lot of fun.

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Remember everyone, no two OCs are the same...Each to their own, positive and negative in all.

This one was different, the start was totally advertising on the same genre as 2012 except not so full on.

Compairing it to Manchester, the last UK host, some similar elements but all Scotland. Would've loved to have seen them build a ship in there somewhere.

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Nice little ceeremony- I am sure the Gold Coast will be of this scale too.

Best Oath ever.... set to music and multi part.

However, I did not like the Unicef parts. It seemed to be like a guilt sledgehammer, told 5 times in case you are too stupid to realise there is poverty and suffering and you should donate.

This is a celebration of the athletes of the Commonwealth marching in as equals. Isnt' it just a little humiliating having the faults of your country towards it children displayed to the world just before you march in? Your country that needs the help of good hearted Glaswegions to come and fix- because you obviously can't do it yourself. I know it meant well, but I think the closing would have been a better time for this in a less intrusive way.

Other than that all good fun!

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And a swipe at countries like Australia that doesn't have marriage for gay people...

Yeah, too right. But even more so for the likes of Nigeria and Uganda, who don't even think gay people have the right to exist. We sure wouldn't have seen that in Abuja.

It was a nice touching moment for me seeing as my husband and I did the Gretna Green thing and hitched in Scotland.

The new Glasgow Kiss.

Anyway, full marks and congratulations to the CGF for allowing that, compared to the IOC's stance in Sochi - pretty gutsy considering the number of Commonwealth countries who are homophobic.

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Worst ever Opening Ceremony the UNICEF stuff really took away the ceremony and the concert is not suited for the Opening Ceremony this was the Guadalajara Mexico 2011 of Opening Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, The only highlight of the Opening Ceremony was the Gay Kiss that all.

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Yeah, too right. But even more so for the likes of Nigeria and Uganda, who don't even think gay people have the right to exist. We sure wouldn't have seen that in Abuja.

It was a nice touching moment for me seeing as my husband and I did the Gretna Green thing and hitched in Scotland.

The new Glasgow Kiss.

Anyway, full marks and congratulations to the CGF for allowing that, compared to the IOC's stance in Sochi - pretty gutsy considering the number of Commonwealth countries who are homophobic.

77b32e.png

Don't forget Jamaica...

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Worst ever Opening Ceremony the UNICEF stuff really took away the ceremony and the concert is not suited for the Opening Ceremony this was the Guadalajara Mexico 2011 of Opening Ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, The only highlight of the Opening Ceremony was the Gay Kiss that all.

Guadalajara was worse than this. At least this was more original and attempted a bit of creativity.

Guadalajara was...well...to be honest I don't even remember much that ceremony, so that gives you an idea of how forgettable it was. My least favorite of Scott Givens ceremonies

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^^ Yeah, i'm afraid we're going to listen to complains from certain african countries soon. Not that the world gives a damn about their homophobic opinion anyway.

While I applaud the stance taken by the creative minds behind the Glasgow ceremony--- let's not forget that it is the legacy the British Empire left in these African countries that had created the environment that allows institutionalised homophobia to flourish. It could then be seen as a little ugly and condescending for the Commonwealth to then turn around and shame the very countries they bestowed theses values upon in the past.

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let's not forget that it is the legacy the British Empire left in these African countries that had created the environment that allows institutionalised homophobia to flourish. It could then be seen as a little ugly and condescending for the Commonwealth to then turn around and shame the very countries they bestowed theses values upon in the past.

You surely can't be suggesting that homophobia is a uniquely British contribution to the world, or that the homophobe countries of the Commonwealth are only so because they were once ruled from London? Let's not forget though that the gay laws in such countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Jamaica have really been become more and more medievally draconian in just the past few years - which I think we have more to "thank" for from US fundamentalist missionaries and their own traditions and piety than their past colonial ruler.

If anything, it's more like a stance to consiously NOT to follow the recent example of the UK and the Dominions. They often promote their homophobia by claiming gays are a "western-white disease".

Would you say that the US, for example, should not celebrate Martin Luther King Day because they once had slavery?

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I grew to enjoy the ceremony last night.

Plus points

• The chair bit for the athletes

• The parade and sectioning of the continents/areas

• The scottie dogs

• The Unicef song with the children's virtual choir

• The baton passing and the crowds and queens reaction to the baton malfunction

• The oath and flag passing over the athletes

• The kiss

Minus points

• The first 15 minutes I really hated, was too pantomime.

• Rod and Su Bo were a bit rubbish

I think that first 15 minutes put me off, they had a lot of work to do after that. The bits I liked were the nice little touches.

Im gonna give it a 6 out of 10. Three of those points are for the dogs.

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I was trying sooo hard to like this, I really did want to, but I really can't say I enjoyed this opening ceremony much at all.

I just got the feeling that it was more telethon, more concert, more EMA awards ceremony...... more eurovision interval act - than the opening ceremony of a Commonwealth Games.

That's not to say that it wasn't a well produced show, it was, and I wouldn't have expected anything less with the man at the top. The stadium looked a picture both in light and once the sun went down.

The lighting design was fantastic, it looked so serene with the blue shades at the end.

The video production quality was great, the screen worked well, the stage and floor design was well thought.

Not to mention the performers, they were gold, amazing enthusiasm. This would have made the perfect closing ceremony, but for an opening...... no.... I just wasn't feeling it.

I do wonder if plans were changed when the implosion was canned, I'm sure I read that we would see stuff about the regeneration of Glasgow, and I didn't see any of that.

The countdown.... yeah pretty good, can't complain with that. The opening act though, it was just so meh. Again, it would be great for a closing, but it had such a low impact for the opening of an event like this.

The thing is, it wasn't original, it's what Sydney and Vancouver did in their closing ceremony.

I think the Unicef contribution was abit too much. Certainly a worthy cause, but it was shoved down our throats abit too much, and it did verge in to telethon land a few times.

I will say the couple dancing was a beautiful moment, and they certainly could have built on that a bit more, but it seems to me they saw that more of a transition filler.

The good bits apart from that....

I thought they did the protocol really well, the arrival of the Queen was fantastic, and the music used for the baton entry was great.

The Calvin Harris mash up was fantastic, still maybe suited slightly more to a closing ceremony, but was visually stunning and showed great spirit.

Athletes parade..... mint

I do understand the concept behind the ceremony, but I think you can still give that feeling across while at the same time having a more well rounded show. Manchester showed that in spades.

Again, a well produced show, but just no stand out moment to me. What will be the iconic image of this ceremony.

It will be interesting to see the angle for the closing ceremony. I found Manchester's closing (I use this comparison as David Zolkwer was the AD for both), to be far more traditional and had one of the most ambitious pieces of stadium theatre that I've ever seen in it (Common wealth).

Maybe this ceremony is a grower, and there are moments I will rewatch , but at the moment - Im feeling abit deflated.

Still, after all that being said, well done the people of Glasgow. The spirit shown by the performers was fantastic.

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I was trying sooo hard to like this, I really did want to, but I really can't say I enjoyed this opening ceremony much at all.

I just got the feeling that it was more telethon, more concert, more EMA awards ceremony...... more eurovision interval act - than the opening ceremony of a Commonwealth Games.

That's not to say that it wasn't a well produced show, it was, and I wouldn't have expected anything less with the man at the top. The stadium looked a picture both in light and once the sun went down.

The lighting design was fantastic, it looked so serene with the blue shades at the end.

The video production quality was great, the screen worked well, the stage and floor design was well thought.

Not to mention the performers, they were gold, amazing enthusiasm. This would have made the perfect closing ceremony, but for an opening...... no.... I just wasn't feeling it.

I do wonder if plans were changed when the implosion was canned, I'm sure I read that we would see stuff about the regeneration of Glasgow, and I didn't see any of that.

The countdown.... yeah pretty good, can't complain with that. The opening act though, it was just so meh. Again, it would be great for a closing, but it had such a low impact for the opening of an event like this.

The thing is, it wasn't original, it's what Sydney and Vancouver did in their closing ceremony.

I think the Unicef contribution was abit too much. Certainly a worthy cause, but it was shoved down our throats abit too much, and it did verge in to telethon land a few times.

I will say the couple dancing was a beautiful moment, and they certainly could have built on that a bit more, but it seems to me they saw that more of a transition filler.

The good bits apart from that....

I thought they did the protocol really well, the arrival of the Queen was fantastic, and the music used for the baton entry was great.

The Calvin Harris mash up was fantastic, still maybe suited slightly more to a closing ceremony, but was visually stunning and showed great spirit.

Athletes parade..... mint

I do understand the concept behind the ceremony, but I think you can still give that feeling across while at the same time having a more well rounded show. Manchester showed that in spades.

Again, a well produced show, but just no stand out moment to me. What will be the iconic image of this ceremony.

It will be interesting to see the angle for the closing ceremony. I found Manchester's closing (I use this comparison as David Zolkwer was the AD for both), to be far more traditional and had one of the most ambitious pieces of stadium theatre that I've ever seen in it (Common wealth).

Maybe this ceremony is a grower, and there are moments I will rewatch , but at the moment - Im feeling abit deflated.

Still, after all that being said, well done the people of Glasgow. The spirit shown by the performers was fantastic.

I enjoyed its simplicity. The Unicef breaks were more cue to put the jug on/visit the head. Yes a wee bit of a distraction. But then this is what Glasgow was trying to achieve, something different. As mentioned elsewhere probably the implosion of the flats were to be the highlight. The most moving moment was the unscheduled memorial to Flight MH17, the lightest being the Baton not giving up the Queens message and her reaction when it finally did. And they kept away from anything to do with Scottish independence.

As predicted the two kisses in the ceremony performances got a reaction - one more so than the other. It's just a kiss everyone, NOT the end of the world.

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