Coldplay played out the London 2012 Festival in style by leading hundreds of performers across the country in a rendition of their hit 'Viva La Vida.' The Bandstand Marathon was the "official finale event" of the London 2012 Festival, according to BBC News. At 20:00 last night (September 9, 2012), hundreds of musicians joined Coldplay, by playing on bandstands across the UK, uniting in song to celebrate the achievements of the last few weeks of world-class sporting endeavour.
The London 2012 festival was the programme of arts and culture events that accompanied the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, which ended last night. The 12-week programme was the climax of the Cultural Olympiad, which has been running since 2008. In total, the festival received an investment of around £55 million. Coldplay were one of the star attractions of the finale and put on a spectacular show, featuring collaborations with Rihanna and Jay Z. According to MTV, around 80,000 people watched the concert at the Olympic Stadium, which they opened with 'Us Against The World.' Their set also featured some f their past hits such as 'Yellow,' 'Clocks' and 'The Scientist.'
Coldplay had previously described the opportunity to play at the event as "the biggest night of our lives" whilst Rihanna added "Being at the Paralympics is the biggest honour. These athletes are gladiators and a true inspiration to me. David Weir and Sarah Storey - both Paralympic gold medallists for Team GB - carried the Union Jack flag into the stadium and today, an athlete's parade will take place through the city of London.