Noel Gallagher Says He Turned Down a Gig at the Olympics Closing Ceremony

2012-08-20

Story by Cat Badra

‘Wonderwall’ star Noel Gallagher opted out of performing at the Olympics

The 2012 London Olympics’ closing ceremony brought plenty of high-profile performances, including some tunes from ‘90s pop divas the Spice Girls and a showing by classic rockers the Who. British rock also received a lot of attention, with Liam Gallagher’s band Beady Eye playing his Oasis chart-topped “Wonderwall.” What was missing from the “Wonderwall” performance, of course, was Liam’s old Oasis colleague and estranged brother, Noel Gallagher.

But, don’t feel too sorry for Noel. He claims that he was offered a spot at the ceremony, but turned it down because they wanted him to “mime” his songs. “I was asked to do it a long time ago,” he explained to London’s XFM. “They wanted me to [perform] acoustically and then they wanted me to mime…but if you’re in a stadium with 80,000 people and you’re pretending? I can play live! In the end, I was just like…you know what, I’d rather watch it on the telly.”

Noel also explained that Liam’s band, Beady Eye, and the closing ceremony’s organizers had to get his permission to use “Wonderwall,” which was penned by Noel. “They had to re-record it and then send it to me,” Noel asserted. “I did play a bit of cat and mouse with them for a few days — I took it ’til Friday night at ten o’clock before I said yes…”

In other Noel Gallagher news, his band, High Flying Birds, are set to co-headline a North American tour with Snow Patrol that kicks off on Oct. 23 at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Ore.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.