February 28, 2010, 8:01 pm
Updated: 1:11 am

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Doug Mills/The New York Times

The spectacle of the closing ceremony at B.C. Place.

The New York Times reporters Juliet Macur, Katie Thomas and Ian Austen provided live updates throughout the closing ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics from the downtown Vancouver arena, B.C. Place. Readers are invited to join the conversation in the comments box below.

11:07 p.m. |That’s All Folks

K-os just took the stage in what felt like the hidden track of these ceremonies. The atmosphere switched from rock concert to dance club. Fluorescent orbs bounced around the stadium and were kept aloft by the crowd. Breakdancers wearing glowing suits did their thing in the center of the stage. We could hear fireworks erupting outside.

An announcer has just informed the crowd that the closing ceremonies have concluded. The audience is filing out, moose antlers and hockey sweaters and all. The exit music is U2 (last I checked, not Canadian): “It’s a Beautiful Day.” — Katie Thomas

The balls which are about 4 feet in height are internally illuminated and change color. Zorbs or not, the bouncing balls were the finale. Although the show has officially been declared over, the performers and athletes are ambling around the floor and disco music is blasting over the loudspeakers. Outside, of course, the party continues on the streets of downtown Vancouver where red, preferably on a hockey jersey, is the color of the evening. — Ian Austen

10:49 p.m. |Keep Away

As the show makes its way through several acts, a conspicuous circle of white-clad performers is keeping the dancing, chatting, wandering athletes away from area that the caldron filled at the beginning of the ceremonies. Presumably we’re about to see another novelty rise up from there. UPDATE: The floor did rise up to form a stage which is occupied by two hip-hop dance groups XXS, or Xtreme Soul Style, and NON or Now or Never. Up on the stage where the official speeches were presented is k-os, a performer and music producer from Toronto. — Ian Austen

10:43 p.m. |N.B.C. Pulls Plug

Apparently the closing ceremony is no longer being shown on NBC or its sister channels. Here’s what you’re missing: The ceremony has morphed into an all-star rock concert, with the athletes, most of them wearing foam moose antlers, invited to descend onto the stage and sway to Canada’s best-known entertainers. Nickelback performed first, followed by Avril Lavigne (she gave the crowd a demure “merci beaucoup” upon leaving the stage). Now Alanis Morissette is performing the song “Wunderkind.” It’s a pretty neat scene. The athletes and the “Youth of Vancouver” (those performers with snowboards who opened the ceremony) are mingled on the stage, waving their arms over their heads, back and forth. Next up are performances by Simple Plan, Hedley and Marie-Mai. — Katie Thomas

10:25 p.m. |More on Canadian Idol

Marie-Mai Bouchard, who performs under her given name only, is one of the latest product’s of Quebec’s star machine which combines television, radio and magazines into a single, seamless promotional entity. Despite her success, she only placed third in Star Académie, Quebec’s extremely popular variation of American Idol. The Quebec show is more closely based on Star Academy, a program aired in France, however. Because Quebec is less tolerant of English words than France, the title underwent a small name change after crossing the ocean. — Ian Austen

10:24 p.m. |Golden Boys

The giant “tabletop hockey players” are wearing gold medals. Wonder if that was a last-minute alteration. — Katie Thomas

10:21 p.m. |Song Fun Fact

The “Maple Leaf Forever,” now being performed by Michael Bublé once competed with “O Canada” to replace “God Save The Queen” as the national anthem. “O Canada” won in 1980 because the “Maple Leaf Forever” offers a British-centric review of Canadian history. — Ian Austen

10:17 p.m. |Where’s Short?

According to the media guide, Martin Short was supposed to be part of the “I am Canadian” segment with William Shatner, Catherine O’Hara and Michael J. Fox. He was to introduce a bit about Canadian inventions (lightbulb, Wonderbra). Maybe he’ll show up later in the show. Is Martin Short the malfunctioning torch leg of the closing ceremony? — Katie Thomas