The extremely elaborate opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle yielded to the Parade of Nations on Friday night, as the 2012 Olympics in London were kicked off in earnest.
Although the Parade of Nations took the better part of two hours, even on tape delay, Bob Costas and his fellow commentators could not stop talking about how fast the procession was moving. They repeatedly noted that the pace of the entrances was far quicker than they could remember. Or perhaps those lines were added in later to try to make those of us watching at home forget that this telecast was already twice tape delayed and heavily edited. If that was the case, it definitely did not work.
Making their entrance last, of course, were the athletes representing the host country, Great Britain. They entered to a jubilant crowd ovation and marched proudly amid a massive confetti shower.
Following the Parade of Nations and the lighting of the flame, Sir Paul McCartney led the 60,000 fans in attendance in a rousing singalong of "Hey Jude."
For more on the 2012 London Olympic Games, make sure that you check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.
