2006 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony - Performances

Performances

The ceremony began with a fireworks show. This was followed by Grinspoon's Pat Davern suspended on the Great Southern Stand of the MCG playing a guitar (equipped with pyrotechnics which produced sparks) whilst being lowered onto the stadium ground, giving a rock concert feel to the closing ceremony. Grinspoon performed their hits Hard Act To Follow and Better Off Alone. During the performance under 18 TAC Cup Australian rules football players, accompanied by several contemporary key figures of the sport entered through a banner, running out into formation. Ballerinas dressed in club colours followed.

Melbourne musician Paul Kelly performed "Leaps and Bounds", while various costumed performers, representing Melbournians entered the arena, in addition to a number of significant Melbourne landmark icons such as Flinders Street Station, The Skipping Girl Vinegar Sign, St. Kilda's Luna Park facade, the Royal Exhibition Building, The Melbourne Cup and the Victorian Arts Centre Spire.

Ben Lee then performed a tribute to Melbourne's multicultural nature, performing We're All In This Together while people (known on-site as "Multis") held photoboards of their ancestors from the many different nationalities of Melbournians and created a "wall" with them. (Note: not all the people were holding their own ancestors. Most were assigned random photos. Those who had submitted photos got to hold their own.) Nearing the end of Ben Lee's song, the "Multis" took out large red and yellow paper flowers, alluding to Lee's upcoming video for the song. During the song, girls dressed in pink costumes, reminiscent of a 1990s Kylie Minogue music video danced with large "sweetheart lollies". These girls were known on-site as the "sweetheart girls".

The Bodyrockers performed their hit I Like the Way (You Move) while the "multis" and "sweetheart girls" performed separate dances. Towards the end of the song, the multis moved from the front of the stage to the middle, flipping their boards over and revealing a giant moving version of Federation Square, also using the boards to create an audience wave (Mexican wave). They finished up, holding poses, as fireworks were set off around the MCG. Fireworks were alluded to during the ceremony, with small explosions taking place throughout the event.

The volunteers were then welcomed and thanked, with 14,000 being invited to the closing ceremony, while a poem was read out listing a few more of Melbourne's icons, such as The Espy, Graham Kennedy ("The King", as he was affectionately known to Melbournians) and Shane Warne. The volunteers were honoured as being an integral part of the games success.

Confetti snow rained down on the stage, representing the fickle nature of Melbourne's weather, as Sarah Blasko performed a Neil Finn and Crowded House hit, Don't Dream It's Over. Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys played "Rally around the Drum", before flag bearers for each country raised flags, in the same order of continental region that they had done in the opening ceremony, starting with England and finishing with Australia. An illuminated globe suspended in the centre was lowered with Australia, upside down, highlighted in red, and on top of the world. Notably, Melbourne City Council's Mayor, Lord Mayor John So was included in the proceedings, to rapturous applause of the crowd, who continued to cheer as his name was read out throughout the ceremony.

The Commonwealth Games Ceremonial Flag was lowered by workers representing the Emergency Services of Victoria to the backing of a Wurundjeri Indigenous traditional song performed by the Gondwana Voices, a national youth choir.

A month after the ceremony, all the Melbourne performers received certificates of participation.