bonno van der putten: Spice Girls, One Direction Close Out 2012 London Olympics

Who knew that all it would take to get the Spice Girls to reunite was for the Olympics to come back to London? The famous five-piece girl group strapped back on their heels yesterday and climbed atop some taxis to help draw the 2012 London Olympics to a close. But they weren’t the only ones: A huge slew of British musicians, including One Direction, The Who, Ed Sheeran, The Pet Shop Boys, George Michael and Muse, came together to celebrate the close of the Games. . The Closing Ceremony, which took place on a stage made of a giant Damian Hirst painting, was theatrical and bright – and no less surreal than the Opening Ceremony. Newspaper-wrapped cars and dozens of dancers accompanied the musicians, who offered a variety of stylized performances in what was called “Symphony of British Music.” Most notable, of course, was the Spice Girls, who appeared later in the celebrations. But there were numerous other moments that either made you wish you were there or made you glad you had DVRed this thing.