Commonwealth Games 2018: Tensions backstage at opening ceremony
ALL was not as happy as it might have appeared behind the scenes of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, with claims tensions were boiling backstage ahead of the big night.
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ALL was not as happy families as it might have appeared behind the scenes of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
Production sources claim tensions were boiling backstage ahead of the big night, with some revealing they believed singer Katie Noonan capitalised on her role as director of music to boost her own profile.
One production source said they felt that “Katie treated it like it was the Katie Noonan Show”.
“She was in all of the intros and outros for the athletes and she insisted on her moment at the piano,” the source added.
The opening ceremony, which had an expected global viewing audience of 1.5 billion people, saw the likes of Christine Anu, Ricki-Lee Coulter and Delta Goodrem perform anthemic vocals with a spectacular of dancers, fireworks and stunning projections around them.
But when it came to Noonan’s part, titled You’re Welcome Here, she was sat at a white piano in an all-white suit and bright red shoes, with the bells and whistles stripped back as she performed an acoustic rendition of a series of iconic tunes, including I Still Call Australia Home.
“The camera was on Katie the whole time,” another production source said. “Katie is musical director and she puts herself on stage singing the big moment.”
Of the inspiration for her performance, Noonan said: “As a nation we share a profound sense of home and a connection to country that’s always been embedded in indigenous cultures,” Noonan said. “I thought it would be lovely to include snapshots of beautiful and iconic Australian songs featuring the word ‘home’.”
There was also some confusion as to why Noonan cast close friend, Brisbane singer songwriter Emma Dean into the major role of performing a version of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice.
“That was a pivotal moment,” another singer said. “Why wouldn’t she get someone recognised nationally for such an incredible moment? Instead she used it to showcase her friend, who no one knew.”
As well as Goodrem’s standout performance of her original song Welcome To Earth, Anu was also a highlight when she belted out My Island Home at the start of the night.
Online though, some questioned whether or not Anu was lip-synching and joked about a Ru Paul Drag Race style lip synch battle.
“While the battle of the lip synch debate continues … to Delta Goodrem, Ricki-Lee Coulter, Katie Noonan, Jack, John Foreman and all the amazing cast and crew, I love and admire each of you,” Anu wrote on Instagram in response to the debate. “Thank you so much for sharing the 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony experience with me. You are all amazing. I hope to see you in the next battle round.”
Comment has been sought from Noonan.
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