On This Day, Aug. 12, 2012: Queen, The Who & more perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics

August 12, 2025

On This Day, Aug. 12, 2012 …

Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, The Who and The Kinks’ Ray Davies were among the artists who performed at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, held at Olympic Stadium.

Queen’s May and Taylor were joined by Jessie J to perform “We Will Rock You” and Davies performed “Waterloo Sunset.” The Who closed the evening with a medley of three hits: “Baba O’Riley,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “My Generation.”

Dubbed A Symphony of British Music, the evening also featured Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and Genesis’ Mike Rutherford, who performed Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” with Ed Sheeran. There were also performances by Madness, One Direction, Spice Girls, George Michael, Pet Shop Boys, Annie Lennox and Muse.