Pop star Lady Gaga sang John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ sitting at a flower-covered piano as the inaugural European Games got off to a glamorous start in the Azeri capital with a dazzling opening ceremony on Friday. The American six-time Grammy Award winner was a surprise addition to the ceremony, aimed at setting the stage for 16 days of competition in the continent’s first multi-sports event which Azerbaijan hopes will put it firmly on the global sports map. In a two-hour curtain-raiser produced by Dimitris Papaioannou, who was in charge of the Athens 2004 Olympics ceremonies, the history of the nation on the shores of the Caspian sea unfurled in a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds.
